site.btaMRF against Proposed Establishment of Parliamentary Committee of Inquiry into Police Violence Cases

The Movement for Rights and Freedoms (MRF) will not back the proposal for a parliamentary committee of inquiry into cases of police violence, MRF floor leader Delyan Peevksi told reporters on Monday. He was commenting on Prime Minister Nikolay Denkov's proposal following a November 16 protest of football fans in downtown Sofia that turned violent. 

Peevski compared the events of November 16 to a gangster's battle in the street. According to him, the police officers acted absolutely worthily by defending Sofia's citizens. "They have my full support for their actions," Peevski added. In his words, it is very easy to comment in this situation, and he called on the Prime Minister to come out of his office to see what is happening in the street. In this situation, the Interior Minister cannot come out with any position; there are investigative bodies within the Inspectorate of the Interior Ministry. "If someone is found to have used excessive violence, there are laws and punishments," Peevski noted.

"I am surprised by Denkov's comments on how we communicate with the Interior Minister and how we have met with him. Of course, the leaders of all parties and the heads of all parliamentary groups communicate with all ministers," Peevski also commented.