„Thank God for leaving me alive!“ This is what Sonya Koltuklieva wrote from the „Saint Sophia“ hospital after the collision with an employee of the National Security Service in front of the headquarters of „Progressive Bulgaria“ in Sofia.
The journalist reports that she is better thanks to painkillers, but she has a severe headache and pain in her shoulder. Doctors are discussing whether to perform an operation on her left shoulder or to apply conservative treatment. According to her, there are still no final results from the examinations of the internal organs.
Koltuklieva was examined at the Military Medical Academy after the fall. A control scan is due to be performed in about four to five weeks due to possible hidden injuries, she reports, quoted by “Trud“ and the Bulgarian National Radio.
How did the incident happen
The incident unfolded after Koltuklieva tried to ask the Speaker of the National Assembly, Mihaela Dotsova, a question. The journalist opened the door of the car in which Dotsova was, and when an NSO employee intervened, she was pushed and fell on her back on the sidewalk. Footage of the incident was made public.
“The next memory I have is that I am lying on the ground and my head hurts, and I am vomiting, and my shoulder hurts very, very much“, Koltuklieva tells the Bulgarian National Radio. She also stated that she did not accept the apology of Mihaela Dotsova, who went to talk to her after the incident.
The employee was detained
The NSO employee Martin Varadinov voluntarily appeared at the Military Prosecutor's Office and gave testimony. He was then taken out of the building in handcuffs. Pre-trial proceedings have been initiated in the case. At the moment, there is no information about charges being filed or about the final legal qualification of his actions.
The NSO leadership has ordered an inspection. President Iliana Yotova described the officer's reaction as unacceptable and excessive, while Michaela Dotsova said she expressed her deep regret for what happened and that she could not tell the guards how to perform their duties.
Koltuklieva described the incident as “brutal“ and said her leather beret protected her when she fell to the sidewalk. She thanked the people who helped her after the incident and indicated that she would return to work after recovering.
Sources: nova.bg, bnrnews.bg, trud.bg