site.btaNorth Macedonia's Foreign Minister Comments Case Involving Confiscated Documents of Bulgarian Citizen from North Macedonia

The case involving Iva Mihaylova, who holds Bulgarian citizenship and was injured in a road incident in the town of Kocani eight months ago and still awaiting charges, falls under the jurisdiction of North Macedonia’s judiciary, Foreign Minister Timco Mucunski said in Sofia on Wednesday, responding to questions about why authorities in Kocani have not allowed her to travel to Bulgaria for medical treatment.

Mucunski was speaking on the sidelines of the South-East European Cooperation Process (SEECP) summit held in Sofia.

“First, this is a criminal-legal case which is under the jurisdiction of the state’s judicial system. How the independent judiciary operates is entirely within its competence and I cannot comment on it,” he said regarding the Mihaylova case.

He added that access to the country’s healthcare system is possible regardless of whether a person is a defendant in criminal proceedings.

“And of course, whether a person is a defendant in criminal proceedings or not, access to the healthcare system in our country is certainly possible and the best conditions will be provided for the treatment of every person in the country,” he said.

Mucunski also said that the process of receiving medical treatment should not be linked to criminal proceedings.

Asked why North Macedonian authorities had reportedly taken Mihaylova’s Bulgarian documents in addition to her national identification papers, the Minister said the matter should be addressed to the judiciary.

“What I can say is that as an institution we ensure that the judiciary functions in a transparent manner,” he added.

Earlier this week, BNT reported on the case of Iva Mihaylova, a Bulgarian citizen who says she has been barred from leaving the town after a traffic crash in which she was injured. BNT said Mihaylova has not been formally charged for eight months, has had both her Bulgarian and North Macedonia identity documents confiscated, and has been refused permission to travel to Bulgaria for treatment despite back injuries and symptoms of partial paralysis.

BNT also interviewed Hristiyan Pendikov, former secretary of the closed Tsar Boris III cultural club in Ohrid, who described the case as indicative of North Macedonia’s treatment of people with Bulgarian self-identification. “Iva is not trying to flee. She wants to be allowed to receive treatment,” Pendikov said, adding that delayed treatment could leave her disabled. The case in Kocani is scheduled for July 6, 2026, and Mihaylova is calling for international monitoring.