Balgarianovinite.com Bulgaria insists that Iva Mihailova, a Bulgarian in North Macedonia who is charged with a serious traffic offence and was among those injured in the relevant road accident in October 2025, should be granted access to timely and appropriate medical care, the Bulgarian Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Friday. The ministry argued that such medical care is necessary to prevent the real risk of permanent injuries with irreversible consequences for Mihailova’s right to a dignified life.
The statement followed the latest decision in Mihailova’s case, made by the Basic Court in Kocani, North Macedonia earlier in the day, denying her permission to undergo the treatment she requires.
The Foreign Ministry expressed serious concern over the fact that, for more than six months, the young woman has been unable to receive timely and appropriate treatment for her diagnosed severe neurological condition. It also noted that an opinion issued by the competent local health authority clearly confirms not only the seriousness of her diagnosis but also that the prescribed treatment cannot be provided in North Macedonia and must be carried out abroad.
“We recall that all parties to the European Convention on Human Rights are obliged to safeguard the human rights of their citizens. In Iva Mihailova’s case, we draw attention to the right to life, the prohibition of inhuman and degrading treatment, and the obligation to provide effective legal remedies,” the Foreign Ministry said.
The ministry added that the European Commission’s consistently critical assessments of the state of North Macedonia’s judicial system are not without reason, stressing that the rule of law remains one of the key conditions for any progress by an EU candidate country towards membership.
Protecting the lives and health of Bulgarians abroad remains a permanent priority for the Bulgarian state, and the Foreign Ministry will continue to use all available international mechanisms to safeguard their rights, the statement said. It concluded by reaffirming that Iva Mihailova will continue to receive the full support of the Bulgarian authorities in her fight for a dignified life.
Earlier on Friday, MP Angel Georgiev (Vazrazhdane), who chairs the Bulgarian Parliament’s Committee on Policies for Bulgarians Abroad, said that Mihailova had been denied permission to receive medical treatment in Bulgaria. He called on the government in Sofia to take urgent action.
The Basic Court in Kocani opened proceedings against Iva Mihailova on July 6. She is charged with a serious traffic offence related to road safety in North Macedonia. Mihailova, who also holds Bulgarian citizenship, was involved in a road accident in early October 2025 in which one person was killed. Several people, including Mihailova herself, were injured.
Following the accident, her travel documents were confiscated, preventing her from seeking medical treatment in Bulgaria, one of the few countries where the specialized care required for her spinal injuries is available.
According to the North Macedonia prosecution, on October 7, 2025, Mihailova was driving at excessive speed on the Kocani-Stip road and at one point crossed approximately 70 metres into the opposite lane, where she collided with a vehicle that was overtaking a police car stopped on the roadside while officers were carrying out a traffic check. Several people were injured in the crash, including Mihailova, and all were taken to hospital, where one of the victims later died.
However, expert reports commissioned by the defence conclude that Mihailova neither exceeded the speed limit nor was her vehicle improperly positioned at the moment of impact.
On August 4, 2026, the Bulgarian National Assembly Committee on Policies for Bulgarians Abroad heard testimony from Mihailova’s mother, Hristina Mihailova, who presented witness statements and expert reports which, according to the defence, exonerate her daughter. She also raised concerns about the conduct of the judicial proceedings.
The committee meeting was unable to adopt its agenda because it failed to reach a quorum. Addressing her daughter’s medical condition, Hristina Mihailova said that the family had requested permission for Iva to receive treatment in Bulgaria on five occasions over the past ten months. According to her, Iva had even been denied access to rehabilitation treatment in the neighbouring town of Stip.
Bulgaria Urges North Macedonia to Allow Medical Treatment for Iva Mihailova 2026 THE NEWS FROM BULGARIA – NEWS AGENCY 2009-2025 2026-08-07 17:11:03 Latest news World news Country news Most important news latest news most important latest of the day Justice Petar Nizamov Feathers Petar Nizamov- Feathers Justice bg iustitia.bg iustitia iusticia usticia investigation Burgas Bulgaria news news of the last hour news of the day news of today Bulgaria news The news from Bulgaria blitz news top news most important most commented latest news Boyko Borisov news weather coronavirus news news weather facebook youtube facebook instagram news today news of the last minutes news today today news news bg news leading news hot news bg news site for news all news news bg news of the last hour latest latest news bg news of today news today news today news of the last hour latest news today news bg news news 24 hours news vesti bg novini news world bird bg bivol bg bivol trud bg novini latest news today novinite bg news hello bulgaria political party coat of arms delyan peevski scandalous Bulgarian National Television Free Europe Television scandal exclusive live tv live right now tv tv online tv program bg live now tv news online tv online live court Burgas court Burgas district court Burgas court Burgas district court Burgas district court Burgas appellate court Burgas prosecutor Burgas prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Prosecutor General Ivan Geshev Prosecutor Geshev Tsatsarov Ministry of Internal Affairs Burgas ODMR Burgas ODPR Burgas police Burgas district police Burgas prosecutor Tsatsarov SGS cases Varna court chairman of the SGS court decisions on civil cases decisions on cases Plovdiv court decision of the court decisions cases Varna court criminal cases district district court decisions work in the court SGS chairman of the SGS judges Sofia court post judges Plovdiv court Plovdiv judges Plovdiv Supreme Court Inspectorate Supreme Court Supreme Judicial Council lawyer lawyer criminal cases lawyer civil cases lawyer marriage cases lawyer administrative criminal law criminal process civil law civil process administrative law constitutional law
