Nikolay Popov, leader of the "Radiance" party, has sharply criticized the sentence in the murder case of Evgenia, whose body was found in a suitcase. He set out his view in a post on his personal Facebook profile.
"The case of Evgenia, killed and stuffed into a suitcase, is shocking. Even more shocking is Bulgarian justice — and specifically the sentence in this case," Popov wrote.
Evgenia's husband was sentenced to 20 years in prison by the Sofia Appeal Court, which overturned an earlier life sentence. The convicted man's father, who was charged with hiding the body, was found not guilty.
Popov points out that the convicted man can ask for early release once he has served the part of the sentence set by law. He says the punishment for some economic crimes is longer than that.
He calls the acquittal of the convicted man's father even more outrageous, and says it shows how absurd Bulgarian justice can be. Popov says he knew Evgenia's mother.
That, he explains, is why he keeps fighting — and why "Radiance" is running in the parliamentary election, to change the system from the inside.
Popov has also spoken out publicly in other cases where relatives of victims are pushing for faster justice. Since his own daughter's death, he has repeatedly criticized how long court cases drag on and how light the punishments are for serious crimes.
His daughter Siyana died at 12 in a car crash near the village of Telish, in Pleven province. While she was alive, he used to wonder how people live with such pain — now he knows, Popov says.
The defense, the victim's relatives and prosecutors have all filed appeals with the Supreme Court of Cassation, which will have the final say.