The journalist from the investigative site BIRD Dimitar Stoyanov was released from custody and is charged with hooliganism and threatening to kill with a combat pistol, the Sofia District Prosecutor’s Office announced on Tuesday evening. He was set on bail of BGN 5,000.
Stoyanov was arrested by the Ministry of Internal Affairs after receiving a report to the police from a citizen who was found to be an employee of the NRA. The Ministry of Internal Affairs initially specified that Stoyanov was detained for hooliganism and threatening with a weapon. A little later, a search was carried out in his home, where two combat pistols and a carbine were seized.
The Ministry of the Interior also released footage of what happened the day before:
According to the announcement of the prosecutor’s office, the conflict occurred around 6:00 p.m. on April 22 on “Vasil Petleshkov” street. “It was established that D.S.’s actions were obscene, grossly violating public order and expressing clear disrespect for society, as, in addition to pulling out a combat pistol in a public place, he also inflicted numerous blows with his feet and hands in the area of the head and body of P.L. The accused made numerous insults to the man, threatening to “break his head”. reads the announcement of the prosecutor’s office. Three expertises were assigned – video-technical, ballistic and forensic-medical.
In front of the courtroom on Tuesday, Stoyanov commented to lawyers from “Justice for Everyone” that, in his opinion, the whole case “order” of Interior Minister Kalin Stoyanov, who recently filed a civil lawsuit against BIRD journalists for BGN 65,000 due to damages caused by publications on the case involving the network of the murdered Martin Bojanov – the Notary. “In the last 10 days I have had two such attacks,” Stoyanov said. According to him, the man who attacked him on Monday was “extremely aggressive”. “I think he was drugged and certainly very drunk.” Stoyanov said. He also said that 11 days ago he was attacked by another person who threatened him. At the time, however, the journalist did not file a complaint about the attack, but claimed that there were witnesses to what happened.
Earlier on Tuesday morning, Atanas Chobanov, with whom Stoyanov works, told about what happened:
“Some unknown drunk guy attacked him verbally and physically yesterday while he was shopping with his wife. He attacked him in the back. Mitko has a legal gun and during the fight he pulled it out of respect. This happened around 3 pm. Then Mitko goes to the show The alternative. He goes to Pirogov. In the meantime, the assailant presents himself as a taxman. In the middle of the night, they search his home the computer”.
Chobanov emphasizes that this is happening while BIRD’s investigative material is being finalized, in which it is described how the brother-in-law of Minister Kalin Stoyanovwho is a former police officer and former taxman, in 2021 extorted a trader in a NRA uniform. “Until now, the minister’s son-in-law /named Shurelov/ escapes from justice! However, Mitko is in custody.
PS Well done Mitko for pulling out his legal gun against this assailant and not disemboweling him, given the difference in weight and skill.”adds Chobanov.
On Monday, before he was detained, Stoyanov wrote on Facebook that he was attacked while shopping, and shortly after that he was also attacked in the back:
“Even when you’re shopping gently, there’s always some jerk who’ll attack you because you’re shopping in a store he doesn’t like. If you don’t get scared, he’ll run away and then attack you in the back, beat you like an angry woman and he will explain how he will kill you. And you have no idea where it came from. I still wonder if it is a provocation or an idiot.”
The person Stoyanov had a fight with is really a tax man. This is understood from the position of the head of the NRA, Rumen Spetsov. According to him, the reason for the scandal was a parking remark.
Spetsov declared “zero tolerance” for aggression. He urged the case not to be politicized.
“I stand behind every honest and valiant NRA employee. The activity of the revenue agency is part of the national security of the country and it is unacceptable for its employees to become the object of threats and aggression. I expect the investigation authorities to establish the objective truth in the case“, said the head of the NRA.
A week ago, the Association of European Journalists – Bulgaria (AEJ) called for the resignation of Interior Minister Kalin Stoyanov because of a SLAPP lawsuit filed by him against Dimitar Stoyanov and Atanas Chobanov from BIRD.
On Tuesday, the organization called for the publication of all video recordings of the incident with Stoyanov. In a position, they emphasized that showing a slice does not give the public the opportunity to form an unbiased opinion.
“It is the duty of the investigators to collect both incriminating and exculpatory evidence, and the Ministry of Internal Affairs is prohibited from showing both without the permission of the supervising prosecutor, which they certainly did not receive, since at the time of the distribution of the video , the case was not yet assigned to a prosecutor“, said AEZ.
They added that the published excerpt violates the presumption of innocence and also does not explain Stoyanov’s injuries. He himself says that he was attacked earlier.
“According to the data we have, Stoyanov did not try to hide – after the incident, he shared information on Facebook and participated in a live TV broadcast. He visited “Pirogov” and notified the Fifth Police Station of his location. He was not armed at the time of his arrest, although he has a permit for the legal possession of weapons“, the organization also stated.
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