Balgarianovinite.com A local activist was arrested in handcuffs during a government delegation’s visit to the flood-hit village of Strumyani on Friday, prompting demands for an explanation from the Interior Ministry by Yes, Bulgaria co-chair Ivaylo Mirchev and the Association of European Journalists – Bulgaria (AEJ-Bulgaria). A video of the arrest was posted on Facebook and media outlets.
The delegation was headed by Prime Minister Rumen Radev and also included the Ministers of Environment and of Agriculture.
The Council of Ministers said in a press release that Prime Minister Radev himself has ordered a check into the arrest.
Following inquiries by the press, the Blagoevgrad Directorate of the Interior said that the police acted on a request for assistance by the National Service for Protection (NSP). According to NSP, the woman tried to enter a designated area for press but failed to show an ID or a press card. The woman was coercively taken to the nearest police department for verification for her identity. A warning statement was issued for violation of public order because she did not have an ID on her, which is a requirement under the Bulgarian Identity Documents Act, after which the woman was released.
The NSP put out a press release to the same effect.
Mirchev said he had submitted a parliamentary question to the Interior Ministry seeking information about the reasons for Petrova’s arrest. He demanded that the authorities explain the use of force.
“I do not believe that the National Service for Protection and the Interior Ministry should be engaged in clearing the area during visits by the prime minister, whoever that may be, and therefore I want all the facts and circumstances surrounding this arrest to be clarified,” Mirchev said.
According to initial information, Petrova is a journalist and activist, a representative of the local community and an active participant in efforts to clear the disaster-stricken village. “I am sure that Petrova had something to say to the Prime Minister, but she was prevented from doing so,” Mirchev said.
AEJ-Bulgaria also called on the Interior Ministry to immediately explain why Petrova, whom it described as a civic activist and social media content creator, was detained during the government delegation’s visit to Strumyani.
The organization points out that the video of the arrest shows police officers trying to get her into a police car, handcuffed, without explaining the reason for her arrest or informing her of her rights. Petrova is known in the region as a volunteer and administrator of local social media groups and could also be considered a “citizen journalist”, it added.
AEJ-Bulgaria stressed that authorities are obliged to respect citizens’ rights, including the right to freedom of expression and peaceful protest, and may detain people only under strictly defined circumstances. The association said it would continue to monitor the case and seek answers from the competent institutions, adding that its attempts so far to obtain a response from the Interior Ministry’s press offices in Sofia and Blagoevgrad had been unsuccessful.
Arrest of Local Activist during PM’s Visit to Flood-Hit Village Prompts Calls for Explanation by Law Enforcers 2026 THE NEWS FROM BULGARIA – NEWS AGENCY 2009-2025 2026-08-28 13:13:00
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