site.btaJustice Minister Backs Magistrates Speaking Out Against Dependencies in the System

Andrey Yankulov, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Justice in the caretaker government, expressed institutional support for any magistrate willing to speak openly about dependencies and criminal influence within the judicial system, the Justice Ministry press centre reported on Monday.

The minister’s team declared its backing for a new civic initiative advocating for an independent and free judiciary. In a petition signed by magistrates, lawyers and representatives of other professions, the civic initiative calls on all citizens and professional communities “to stand openly and persistently behind the cause of reclaiming the judiciary from the shadows of lawlessness.”

The Justice Ministry recalled that at the end of February, 15 prosecutors issued an unprecedented open letter in support of their colleague Vladimir Nikolov, who publicly demanded that the prosecution remain independent from both external and internal influences. He urged prosecutors to shed light on and resolve controversial cases such as “The Dwarfs,” “The Notary,” and others. “The wall of silence in the Prosecution Service is beginning to crack. The Prosecution Service will change because, for the first time, the need for reform is recognized by the prosecutors themselves,” Minister Yankulov commented at the time.

The civic initiative now declares: “We support every magistrate who speaks openly about irregularities and problems in the judiciary. Truth strengthens the State. We categorically oppose all forms of pressure, intimidation and orchestrated defamation of magistrates and active citizens. We will not tolerate abuse of institutional power, manipulative campaigns or attempts to silence inconvenient truths. Every such act is a direct attack on the rule of law.”

Regarding Vladimir Nikolov, the Management Board of the Association of Prosecutors in Bulgaria issued a statement expressing indignation at claims he made concerning the organization, the Prosecution Service and the Supreme Judicial Council.