site.btaUPDATED GERB-UDF Floor Leader Borissov: I Talked with TISP Leader Trifonov, Proposed Amendments to Penal Code Will Be Withdrawn

GERB-UDF Floor Leader Boyko Borissov announced Friday that the amendments to the Penal Code proposed by There Is Such a People (TISP), which criminalize the dissemination of information about a person's private life without their consent, will be withdrawn. "I spoke with [TISP leader] Slavi Trifonov this morning and he told me that they would withdraw it because there are texts that neither he nor we accept," Borissov said speaking to journalists in Parliament.

On Thursday, the parliamentary Committee on Constitutional and Legal Affairs supported the amendments on first reading. "Anyone who, through print or other mass media, electronic information systems or other means, disseminates material or other media containing information about the private life of another person without their consent shall be punished with imprisonment of one to six years and a fine of BGN 2,000-5,000," is stated in the TISP proposal. Information about personal life within the meaning of the law is understood to mean data about the personal relationships, family relationships, intimate relationships, or health status of a person, according to the bill.

The GERB-UDF Floor Leader also commented on the fact that MPs from his parliamentary group supported the bill at first reading in the Committee. "I suppose they did not read it properly, now they have read it properly, and they will read it as it should be read."

"There are things that could be corrected or for which some course of action could be found. Artificial intelligence uses our faces and makes disgusting videos. That is not right. There are texts that I would support, I would support a similar text. Six years in prison – that is absurd, but heavy fines are acceptable. The law has been withdrawn, at least that is what Slavi told me, if there is to be such a law, we would support similar texts," Borissov said.

He said that he supports ‘with both hands’ the calls for resignation of Anti-Corruption Commission Chair Anton Slavchev. "I am in favour of the resignation of the entire commission, I will support the closure of the commission," he added. Regarding the joint government of his parliamentary group with Continue the Change - Democratic Bulgaria, Borissov said: "we messed up everything back then, including the Constitution."

"The right thing to do is for Parliament, once the rules have been adopted, to elect the leadership publicly, clearly and in front of everyone, rather than in secret, as he [President Rumen Radev] chooses his people," the GERB leader said regarding the Friday vote on the second reading of amendments to the State Intelligence Agency (SIA) Act and the Special Intelligence Means Act. According to the amendments, the chairpersons of the SIA, and SATO (State Agency for Technical Operations) will be elected by the National Assembly on the proposal of the Council of Ministers, and not as is currently the case - on the proposal of the Government and by presidential decree. "Then we will do the same for the others," Borissov replied when asked why the same principle was not being introduced for the other security services.