The European Center for Transport Policies (ECTP) sent official protest letters to the embassies of France and Germany in Sofia. The reason for the sharp reaction was the meeting held on December 12 between the ambassadors of the two countries and the President of the Supreme Court of Cassation (SCC) Galina Zakharova.
According to the position of ECTP, the expressed support by H.E. Marie Dumoulin and H.E. Irene Plank's approach to Judge Zakharova represents "an unprecedented interference in the Bulgarian judicial system and political interference in the public debate".
The organization emphasizes that the diplomatic activity is taking place against a backdrop of serious tension between the leadership of the Supreme Court of Cassation and the non-governmental sector. Diana Rusinova, Chairwoman of the ECTP, emphasized Judge Zakharova's repeated refusals to meet with parents of children who died in road accidents.
"According to publicly available information, the ambassador has publicly intervened in defense of a Bulgarian judge and expressed negative positions towards civil society organizations," says the official position quoted by the ECTP.
The letters state that Bulgaria continues to be the country with the highest rate of fatalities in accidents in the European Union. According to experts from the center, organizations in the sector are working in response to "a long-standing systemic failure in the protection of human life", and not as a form of political activism.
In her address to diplomatic missions, Diana Rusinova makes three specific demands:
An official explanation and apology to Bulgarian society.
Respect for judicial independence without external interference.
Constructive cooperation to reduce road deaths."We remain convinced that effective cooperation between EU member states, diplomatic missions and civil society must be based on mutual respect," concludes the ECTP position.