The employee of the National Security Service, who participated in the incident with journalist Sonya Koltuklieva, was detained and taken out of the building of the Military Prosecutor's Office in handcuffs. A pre-trial investigation has been initiated into the case.
The information about the handcuffing was disseminated by Novini247, which refers to NOVA. Lupa.bg reports that the employee was arrested shortly after 10:00 PM on October 22 at the insistence of the Military Prosecutor's Office.
At the same time, bTV indicates that the employee voluntarily appeared at the Military Prosecutor's Office and gave testimony. This creates a discrepancy in the publicly released information about the sequence of actions - whether he initially came voluntarily for questioning and was then detained, or was taken away in handcuffs after the questioning. There is no public announcement of charges being filed or a restraining order being issued.
How the incident came about
The incident occurred in front of the headquarters of “Progressive Bulgaria“ in Sofia. Koltuklieva opened the door of the official car, in which the Speaker of the National Assembly, Mihaela Dotsova, got into. A video recording, released publicly, shows how an NSO employee pushes her, after which she falls to the sidewalk.
The journalist was examined at the Military Medical Academy and released for home treatment. According to her, doctors diagnosed a fractured shoulder. “With a sharp movement, a man pushed me on the shoulder. The next thing I remember is that I was lying on the ground, my head and shoulder hurt, and I was vomiting“, Koltuklieva told bTV.
NSO check
The NSO announced that it had ordered an immediate and thorough check of the actions of the security officers and had notified the Military Prosecutor's Office. The service stated that if actions were found that did not correspond to what was necessary in the specific situation, the strictest measures would be taken.
Mikhaela Dotsova met with Koltuklieva at the Military Prosecutor's Office and described what happened as “absolutely unacceptable“. “I will ask the director of the National Security Service to take the strictest possible measures, because such incidents should not happen“, said the speaker of parliament.
The investigation must clarify the actions of the officer, the reasons for the force used and the possible consequences for the participants. It has not been reported at this time whether charges have been filed against him and what preventive measure will be requested.
Sources: btvnovinite.bg, lupa.bg, novini247.com