'Borilski' Murderers to Sue Bulgaria in Strasbourg

In the summer of 2000, French firefighters discovered the brutally murdered Bulgarian Sorbonne student, Martin Borilski, in his apartment in Paris. Photo by podpiski.org

Georgi Zhelyazkov and Stoyan Stoichkov, who were found guilty for the murder of Bulgarian Sorbonne student Martin Borilski in Paris, will sue Bulgaria before the European  Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg.

The information was reported Thursday by the French news agency France Press, citing the defense council.

On Monday, Bulgaria's Supreme Court of Cassations confirmed the sentences of the two young men - Zhelyazkov and Stoichkov - of 19 and 17 years in prison, respectively, and a fine of BGN 120,000 as compensation to Borilski's family. The Supreme Court's decision is final and cannot be appealed in Bulgaria.

Defense Council, Yuliyan Georgiev, told France Press the Court did not take into account his arguments and this is why he will appeal in Strasbourg.

France Press points out that according to court evidence and a DNA probe, the fingerprints of the two matched those found on Borilski's body, but it took the Bulgarian justice system 10 years to bring the trial to conclusion, reminding of the numerous delays.

The defense council complains of unprecedented pressure on the court and voices serious objections to the way the autopsy was conducted and the evidence presented by the French police.

In the summer of 2000, French firefighters discovered the brutally murdered Martin Borilski in his apartment in Paris. His body has been tied down with a sweater and his skull has been broken with a dumbbell. There have been 93 stab wounds on his corpse.

Zhelyazkov and Stoichkov were acquitted by the first two Bulgarian instances - the Shumen District Court and the Veliko Turnovo Appellate Court.

Amidst the pressure of protest rallies and stark remarks on the part of French Ambassador to Bulgaria, Etienne de Poncins, in the beginning of March 2009, Bulgaria's Supreme Court of Cassations returned the "Borilski" murder case to the Appellate Court in the city of Veliko Tarnovo for retrial.

In February 2010, the Veliko Tarnovo Appellate Court sentenced the two men, who went into hiding for 11 days before turning themselves in to court security officers.

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