Father of slain 16-year-old Ivana from Blagoevgrad: "My daughter was raped"
Ivana's father claims his daughter was raped and murdered, while the court released the accused student due to lack of evidence.
Ivana's Father: "The Court Released the Killer, the Truth Will Come Out"
According to 24 Chasa, former police officer Stoyne Stoynev — father of 16-year-old Ivana, found dead outside a building in the "Strumsko" neighbourhood of Blagoevgrad on the night of 23–24 May — accused the court of releasing his daughter's killer without a preventive measure.
"My daughter was raped and murdered! What did this child endure! And the court released her killer! There were no witnesses! There is one truth and it will come out!", said an enraged Stoynev.
The father has photographs that, according to him, show signs of violence on the girl's body before death. Stoynev claims this is also the conclusion of the forensic pathologist.
Stoynev singled out a specific person — the detained and subsequently released student Aleksandar Georgiev. "Look at Aleksandar's profile on Instagram. Everything becomes clear there! He is a follower of the one who disfigured Debora!", added the father.
The family organised a vigil on Friday from 6 p.m. outside the Court Building in Blagoevgrad. "This will not be a protest, but rather 'for' — as a society we need to wake up and protect our children. Let us make the state a normal and safe place for their future, so that we do not bury our children at the age of 16", said Stoynev.
On Thursday, the District Court in Blagoevgrad released without any preventive measure the student Aleksandar Georgiev, accused of wilful murder, citing insufficient evidence.
The court issued an official statement on the case: "Justice is based on evidence, not on public pressure, opinions and emotions." The court expressed sympathy for those close to the deceased girl whilst emphasising that the ruling does not prejudge the question of the accused's guilt.
According to the position of the District Court in Blagoevgrad, the judicial panel determined that at the present stage the evidence collected by the prosecutor and investigating bodies was not sufficient to justify detention. The court noted that if new evidence is gathered, the prosecutor has the procedural opportunity to request a preventive measure again, including the most severe one.
Source: 24 Chasa