Iliana Yotova raises Iva Mihajlova case with Council of Europe, seeks medical access

Bulgarian President Iliana Yotova raised the case of Iva Mihajlova with Alen Berse, the Secretary General of the Council of Europe, during a meeting in Strasbourg, asking that the young dual Bulgarian–North Macedonian national accused in a fatal traffic accident be allowed access to medical care.

Mihajlova, who holds both Bulgarian and North Macedonian citizenship, faces charges in a criminal proceeding in Kocani related to a traffic collision with fatal consequences. Yotova told Berse she does not seek to interfere with the judicial process in North Macedonia, but insisted that Mihajlova receive the necessary treatment.

Offers of medical help reportedly refused

According to Yotova, Bulgarian authorities proposed two solutions: bringing Mihajlova to Bulgaria for treatment or sending a Bulgarian medical team to North Macedonia to perform a consultation. She said that neither option was accepted.

Yotova also stated that Mihajlova had been denied the right to obtain medical treatment in Bulgaria because of the ongoing legal proceedings in Kocani. She warned that what began as a private matter had been turned into a political issue and signalled potential human-rights implications.

Yotova told the Secretary General she would formally submit detailed information on the case. Berse replied that the Council of Europe does not normally examine individual cases, but said he was willing to look at the matter if it pointed to wider questions about protection of human rights.

Photo: press material from the event