PM asks Ministry of Interior to check if police officers have threatened cabinet minister

Prime Minister, Nikolai Denkov, received a report about threats from individual police officers against a minister from the cabinet. According to the signal, the law enforcement officers showed sympathy for foreign paramilitary organisations.

"I expect an investigation, as well as specific action by the Ministry of Interior for a comprehensive and deep reform so that such people cannot serve in the Ministry of Interior. There is no way a law enforcement officer can make threats against a sitting minister. There are other ways to present their disagreement with a decision or personality," Denkov said at the beginning of the Council of Ministers meeting on November 23.

The prime minister is expecting two reports from Minister of Interior, Kalin Stoyanov, on what happened during the protest against the Bulgarian Football Union leadership - on the police officers who exceeded their powers and on the provocateurs identified by the protesters.

"I am expecting a report from the minister detailing all the signals that have been made. These reports should make it clear which of the persons who provoked them on the part of the protesters has a particular fault, how it was established and what punishment they are expected to receive.

On the other hand, in all the reports relating to violence against police officers, I want clarity on who the police officers are who were involved, how they were investigated, what the outcome of that investigation was. And those who have overstepped their powers significantly should be dismissed from the services, as they have no place in the Ministry of the Interior.

“I have to say it again, because some of the statements I have heard in recent days make me think that the ministry has again gone in the wrong direction," Denkov said.

He added that he would define his attitude towards the Ministry of Interior and Minister Kalin Stoyanov depending on the content of the two reports, as well as the punishments and measures provided for in them.

At the beginning of the cabinet meeting, Denkov asked for a clear strategy and plan to prevent police violence against members of the public and journalists, as well as a strategy to protect journalists in the field.

"I expect the Ministry of Interior to start training police officers on how to respect the rights of journalists and protect them during protests. To guarantee citizens' rights to access information, we must first guarantee the rights of the media," he said.

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Thousands of Bulgarian football fans gathered outside the national stadium in Sofia on November 16 during the Euro 2024 qualifier match between Bulgaria and Hungary to demand the resignation of the President of the Bulgarian Football Union and its leadership. The protest started peacefully but turned violent, leading to clashes between football fans and police and resulting in injuries and arrests.

Videos published on the social media showed police officers using unnecessary force against members of the public and the press.

This lead to calls for the resignation of Minister of Interior, Kalin Stoyanov. The Prime Minister announced that he would discuss the resignation of Minister of Interior Kalin Stoyanov with Deputy Prime Minister Mariya Gabriel, because he made an inadequate assessment of the situation. Stoyanov's resignation was also requested by the co-chairman of "We Continue the Change - Democratic Bulgaria" (WCC-DB), Kiril Petkov.

GERB and the Movement for Rights and Freedoms (MRF) were firm that Stoyanov should stay in place.

The chairman of MRF parliamentary group, Delyan Peevski objected the demands for the resignation and said that the Minister of Interior was pressured during the local elections to work in favour of the WCC-DB.

GERB leader Boyko Borisov demanded the resignations of sports minister Dimitar Iliev and the chairman of the Bulgarian Football Union Borislav Mihailov.

Acting Prosecutor General, Borislav Sarafov, ordered the Prosecutor's Office to launch a probe into the management of the Bulgarian Football Union because of media publications about alleged match-fixing and financial crimes.

Speaking at a briefing on November 17, Minister of Interior Kalin Stoyanov said that the Head of the Sofia Directorate of the Interior had initiated an internal check to establish if any police officers overstepped their powers during the football fans protest. He said that more serious damage, or even casualties were prevented by the adequate reaction of the police.

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