BNT was the first to report on the topic of the girl from the Republic of North Macedonia who has been unable to leave her home country after being involved in a road accident. Bulgarian MPs from various parties gathered in the courtroom in support of her, while before the hearing, Iva’s relatives held a symbolic protest outside the courthouse. There was also a demonstration in Sofia outside the Embassy of the Republic of North Macedonia.
At the very end of the hearing, outside the official proceedings, Iva Mihaylova addressed the court and asked: after the authorities requested the opinion of a medical panel following the latest refusal to allow her to receive treatment outside the Republic of North Macedonia, and she submitted such an opinion from leading doctors at 'Mother Teresa' Hospital stating that she could only be treated outside the territory of the Republic of North Macedonia, and her request for treatment was then rejected, what else does she need to provide in order to receive treatment?
The prosecutor addressed her and said that since her condition is not life-threatening, such permission would not be granted.
Representatives of Bulgaria's Foreign Ministry Spoke with Iva Mihaylova's Mother After Another Court Refusal to Allow Her to Leave North Macedonia for Medical Treatment
The case concerning Iva Mihaylova’s treatment is also likely to reach the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg, as preparations are under way for a possible complaint under Article 3 of the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, concerning violations of personal freedoms and the right to health and private life. Some of Bulgaria’s leading lawyers are currently working on the complaint.
The Strasbourg court could order the local authorities to return the girl’s passport so that she can travel. This is all the more significant given that she is being prosecuted for an offence committed through negligence, rather than intentionally. She also has no previous convictions.
The reason for adjourning the hearing was the quationing of the expert who prepared the vehicle accident reconstruction report at the request of the prosecution.
The report contains an extremely large number of inaccuracies and omissions. For example, the weight of the two vehicles involved in the collision was not measured, nor was the load of the vehicle that collided with Iva’s car taken into account.
Iva’s lawyers asked for time to examine these omissions in detail, including incorrectly recorded traces left by the two vehicles involved in the collision, so that they could conduct a more thorough examination of the expert. For this reason, the case was adjourned until 28 September, when two further experts will be heard. They maintain that it was not Iva Mihaylova who entered the oncoming lane. Their reports establish precisely the opposite – that the vehicle travelling from Štip toward Kočani entered Iva’s lane and hit her there.
After eight refusals to allow her to receive treatment outside North Macedonia, Iva Mihaylova continues to hope for justice.
Iva Mihaylova: "Every day I feel worse. I submit a lot of documents, but apparently they are not enough for them.”
The final witness was questioned on August 31. The police officer who led the team of officers stopping cars coming from Štip toward Kočani for inspection claims he did not see the moment of the accident, but only heard the sound of the collision between the two cars. He also stated that they stopped the cars for inspection so as not to obstruct traffic. He declined to speak to the media.
The prosecutor in the case asked the media not to film in the courtroom. He said this was because our team had filmed the testimony of David Krastov, the only witness who saw the collision. According to him, Iva’s car was hit while it was in its own lane.
David gave an interview to BNT's newcast, but outside the courtroom and after giving evidence in the case. MPs from four political groups in the Bulgarian parliament also attended the hearing on August 31.
Borislav Georgiev, MP from the Progressive Bulgaria parliamentary group*: "The issue is a young girl, a Bulgarian woman, who is deliberately being kept here in the city of Kocani. They are not allowing her to come to Bulgaria. We have all seen the bias of the Kochani court, so the situation is simply this – they are holding her here as a hostage."*
Georg Georgiev, MP from the GERB-UDF parliamentary group*: "Our presence here is for one very important reason – to ensure that this young woman has the right to adequate healthcare and that her civil rights and interests will be protected."*
Elisaveta Belobradova, MP from the Democratic Bulgaria parliamentary group*: "We are here primarily to ensure that Iva Mihaylova receives a fair trial, that all her human rights are protected and, in general, that the Republic of North Macedonia, which is part of the negotiating process, ensures a fair trial."*
Angel Georgiev, MP from Vazrazhdane parliamentary group*: "What we are seeing from the prosecution is bias. At times, we see the prosecutor trying to conduct the case as if he were both judge and prosecutor. But he is not a judge."*
Iva also received support from people in Kochani, who came to protest outside the courthouse before the start of the hearing.
"Publicity is our strongest weapon. We want to make this public so that there can be a fair trial."
"It is no secret that there are doubts about the objectivity of the trial. I think it is a just cause, and we are here to support them."
"The whole thing is a tragedy. Even more so because the word tragedy does not describe what happens when corruption is involved. We are here hoping that the justice system will do its job."
"We want justice, but justice in Macedonia is hard to come by."
Iva Mihaylova thanked the people who supported her in Sofia and Skopje.
Whether the court will deliver justice remains to be seen. The case concerning Iva’s treatment could reach the Strasbourg court, where it will become clear whether the case is being judged by a fair standard.
“We want justice, but justice is hard to come by in Macedonia.”
Iva Mihaylova thanked the people who supported her in Sofia and Skopje.
It remains to be seen whether the court will be fair. The case regarding Iva’s treatment may end up in the Strasbourg court, where it will become clear whether justice is being served.
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