site.btaCEC Lifts Immunity of Presidential Candidate after Prosecutor General Submits Request

Sofia, November 1 (BTA) - The Central Election Commission (CEC) lifted the immunity of presidential candidate Boyan Stankov, better known as Boyan Rasate, at the request of the Prosecutor General. Eleven members of the commission voted in favor of the CEC's decision to allow Rasate to be prosecuted.

Earlier in the day the Prosecutor General submitted a motivated request for the permission to prosecute Rasate, who was nominated by an initiative committee as an independent presidential candidate in the elections scheduled for November 14, the prosecution service said.

It was established that on October 30 Rasate, together with a group of people, entered the office of a foundation in Sofia and started shouting, tearing down furniture and spraying the walls. The pre-trial proceedings were instituted for the fact that Rasate in complicity with other unidentified persons ''has committed obscene acts, grossly violating public order and expressing obvious disrespect for society, characterized by extreme audacity''.

The acts described by the prosecuting magistracy coincide with Saturday's attack of Rainbow Hub, the LGBTI community centre, by a group of the Bulgarian National Union (BNU), led by BNU leader Rasate. Talking to Nova TV on Monday, Rasate denied any involvement in an attack on an LGBTI office.

As a candidate for president, Rasate is a person with immunity and according to the Election Code, in order to be prosecuted for a crime, the permission of the CEC is required.

The embassies of the United States, Australia, Belgium, Denmark, Spain, Canada, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Portugal, the Republic of Ireland and France strongly condemned the October 30 attack on the Rainbow Hub, which is a centre for Bulgarian organizations promoting equality and protection of the rights of the LGBTI community. This was stated in a statement sent to the media by the US Embassy.

On Monday, Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands Simon van der Burg, together with other ambassadors, visited the Rainbow Hub. He expressed his support talking to those affected by Saturday's attack. The ambassadors jointly issued the following statement:

''The Embassies of the United States of America, Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Ireland, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, and the United Kingdom, strongly condemn the October 30 attack against the Rainbow Hub, a home for Bulgarian organizations that promote equality and the protection of the rights of LGBTQI+ persons. On November 1, Ambassadors Mustafa (USA), Dixon (UK), Feeney (Ireland), Nielsen (Denmark), Robine (France), van der Burg (the Netherlands), and Charge d'Affaires Beckers (Belgium) visited the Hub to express solidarity with our friends and partners in the face of this senseless attack. LGBTQI+ rights are basic human rights, and like many Bulgarians we reject violence and intolerance, which have no place in any democratic society.''

Several organizations protested in front of the Sofia Court House against cases of homophobic acts. Protesters explained to BTA that the specific reason for their dissatisfaction was the attack on the Rainbow Hub. The organizers of the event are Rainbow Hub, Sofia Pride, Bilitis Foundation, GLAS Foundation, Action LGBT Youth Organization, Feminist Mobilization collective and SingleStep Foundation.

The organizations themselves demanded the lifting of Boyan Stankov-Rasate's immunity on Monday. This is another inadmissible, homophobic attack this year, protest organizers said, calling for changes to the Criminal Code.