More than a month after the tragedy near "Petrohan" and Okolchitsa, the victims' relatives have still not been allowed to identify their bodies and are in a "complete information blackout". On the air of "Hello, Bulgaria" on Nova TV, Nikolay Zlatkov's mother revealed that she was explicitly refused access to her son, arguing that this would hinder the work of the investigators.
Ralitsa Asenova emphasized that the main reason for denying her access to her son's body is the danger of it influencing the evidence. "I received a direct quote that I cannot see my son because there is a danger of "polluting" the investigation," she said. The mother proposed specific measures to avoid such a risk, but they were rejected. "I said: Dress me in sterile clothes. Let two witnesses come to watch. I want to see my child. No, I was not allowed," Asenova explained.
Her attempts to obtain information on site in Vratsa also ended in failure. She managed to talk to the forensic doctor who performed the autopsy, but he refused to show her even her son's ID card. According to Asenova, the doctor reported that there was an explicit ban from the supervising prosecutor for the body to be shown to her. She added that so far none of the relatives have recognized their child.
The family's lawyer was unable to contact the supervising prosecutor for more than two weeks. Only after Asenova exerted pressure on the prosecutor's office on site was a letter received stating that additional examinations were being ordered. She emphasized that as a victim she has the legal right to see her son and receive information about the progress of the pre-trial proceedings, but “everything is being denied”.
According to Ralitsa Asenova, a single version is currently being promoted, which is being disseminated in the media and in parliament. She stated that there are witnesses and data that do not correspond to this hypothesis.
Due to the lack of answers and the inability to collect the bodies of their relatives, Asenova called on citizens to peacefully protest on March 13 (Friday) at 5:30 p.m. in front of the Courthouse in Sofia. “I hope we have the strength to go and seek justice from the people who tried to blacken and ruin our lives”, she concluded.