Prime Minister orders inquiry after woman detained during Strumyani visit

Prime Minister Rumen Radev has ordered an inquiry by the Interior Ministry and the National Protection Service (NSO) into the detention of a woman during his visit to Strumyani, the government press service said. The inquiry will examine all the circumstances surrounding the incident, including whether officers from either institution exceeded their authority. The government said the incident did not take place in the Prime Minister’s presence.

Radev was visiting Strumyani municipality in the Blagoevgrad region following flooding caused by heavy rain.

• Floods and fires cause state of disaster in populated areas in Bulgaria

Earlier on Friday, several media outlets circulated video showing the detention of local activist Gergana Petrova. In the footage, she refuses to get into a police car, saying she has done nothing wrong and wants to return to her child, BNR’s Horizont programme reported.

Democratic Bulgaria MP Ivaylo Mirchev said he had submitted a formal question about the incident, while the Association of European Journalists said the Interior Ministry owed the public an explanation for Petrova’s detention. The National Protection Service said its officers had asked the Interior Ministry for assistance in establishing the identity of a woman who had repeatedly attempted to enter a restricted security zone.

Editor: Miglena Ivanova