The Sofia Military Court ruled on Friday that no pre-trial restraint measure is necessary for Lieutenant Martin Varadinov, a guard with the National Service for Protection (NSP) who is accused of causing bodily injury to journalist Sonya Koltuklieva in an incident on Thursday. The ruling was implemented immediately and Varadinov was released.
The ruling is not final and may be appealed or challenged by the prosecution. It was issued after the panel of judges deliberated for more than two hours, following the prosecution’s request for Varadinov to be remanded in custody.
Video footage of Thursday’s incident outside the Progressive Bulgaria headquarters shows an NSP officer pushing PIK journalist Sonia Koltuklieva, knocking her backwards onto the pavement after she opened the door of Parliament Chair Mihaela Dotsova’s car to ask a question. The journalist reportedly suffered a fractured shoulder in the fall.
At Friday’s hearing, lawyer Tervel Georgiev told the court that there was no evidence to suggest that Varadinov would abscond or commit a crime. He noted that his client was married and had two young children, and had been an NSP employee since 2017, with no disciplinary violations and five awards to his name. His personnel record describes him as a conscientious and dedicated employee.
The defence lawyer said the prosecution’s request for the most severe measure, remand in custody, was entirely unjustified. He stressed that there was no evidence that Varadinov had struck Koltuklieva, as the prosecution alleged. All witnesses, including Koltuklieva herself, said that she had been pushed and had fallen. The prosecution had also failed to provide evidence that the accused had hit her, he added.
According to Georgiev, when the door of a specialized vehicle is closed, NSP officers are not permitted to open it without authorization from the head of the personal protection team. He said Koltuklieva had attempted to open the door unlawfully. He added that his client had acted in accordance with the rules and that the NSP officers had not recognized Koltuklieva as a journalist because she had no microphone or camera and was carrying only a phone. Georgiev said the officers could not have known why she was trying to open the door. In his view, his client’s actions were consistent with the National Service for Protection Act and the regulations implementing it.
Early in Friday’s hearing, Varadinov told the court he believes he lawfully performed his duties during the incident and asked the court to impose a less restrictive measure against him than remand in custody.
Speaking to the media, lawyer Georgiev said his greatest concern is the current political situation and the fact that the country was in an election campaign. These were subjective factors that made the situation difficult to predict, he said.
In its reasoning, the court said there is insufficient reliable evidence to conclude that the accused struck the injured woman, citing witness statements, including Koltuklieva’s, which referred to her being pushed. The judge also said there was no evidence that Varadinov might abscond or pose a risk of committing another crime.
Court Orders Release of National Protection Service Officer Accused of Injuring Journalist 2026 THE NEWS FROM BULGARIA – NEWS AGENCY 2009-2025 2026-10-23 20:19:04
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