Sofia Court Acquits Kiril Petkov in Defamation Case Against Slavi Trifonov

Sofia Court Acquits Kiril Petkov in Defamation Case Against Slavi Trifonov

Bulgaria

The Sofia Appellate Court has acquitted Kiril Petkov, co-chair of Continue the Change, on defamation charges filed by Slavi Trifonov, leader of There Is Such a People. The court overturned a previous ruling that Petkov should pay BGN 50,000 in compensation for non-pecuniary damages following allegedly defamatory statements made during a party briefing in 2022, CE Report quotes BTA

The court found that Petkov's comments did not defame Trifonov, as they did not suggest unlawful or morally reprehensible behavior. Instead, they were seen as permissible criticism of Trifonov's public actions. The decision is subject to appeal before the Supreme Court of Cassation. Trifonov was also ordered to pay BGN 1,000 in court costs.

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