Macedonian Court Deprives Bulgarian Mother of Custody

Politics » DIPLOMACY | June 19, 2012, Tuesday // 11:48
Bulgaria: Macedonian Court Deprives Bulgarian Mother of Custody Spaska Mitrova lives in Macedonia, holds a Bulgarian passport and perceives herself as Bulgarian. Photo by BGNES

Macedonia's Supreme Court has deprived Bulgarian mother Spaska Mitreva of her child, Bulgarian MEP Dimitar Stoyanov has alarmed.

The Supreme Court has overturned last years' ruling of the Court of Appeals that returned little Suzanna to her mother's custody.

Mitrova now has to return the child to her former husband, Voislav Savic, within two months.

The Bulgarian mother has been struggling to win back her child for several years, her efforts being backed by Bulgarian authorities.

On Tuesday, MEP Dimitar Stoyanov will meet with Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borisov and President Rosen Plevneliev to discuss potential legislative mechanism that could help Mitrova win back her child.

In October 2010, the Court in the town of Gevgeli awarded custody rights to Mitrova, but the prosecution appealed.

In March 2009, the same Court ruled to give custody rights to the father of 3-year old Suzanna and Mitrova's estranged husband, Serbian Voislav Savic.

The trial was opened anew following an express ruling of the Skopje Court of Appeals, which respected Mitrova's claim.

The infant was taken away from the mother by force, following a series of contradictory court decisions.

The young woman holds a Bulgarian passport and perceives herself as Bulgarian. She was sentenced and served time in a Macedonian prison over charges she did not allow her husband to see Suzanna. She was released on parole, but then the parental rights case began.

Mitrova has been the cause of diplomatic scandal between the two countries since 2009.

In the aftermath of the news about the Court's rule in March 2009, the Bulgarian Foreign Affairs Ministry expressed deep concern over the way the custody trial was held, defining it as non-transparent and staged in the conditions of a very negative public environment, which included physical force, detention, and depriving the mother of her right to see her child.

The Ambassador of Macedonia to Sofia, Alexander Vasilevski, was summoned the next day to the Bulgarian Foreign Ministry to provide clarifications about the Macedonian position regarding the Gevgeli court rule.

In mid-March 2011, the Bulgarian Members of the European Parliament from all political groups decided to notify EU Commissioner for Enlargement and European Neighborhood, Stefan Fule, about Mitrova's case.

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Tags: Dimitar Stoyanov, sentence, custody rights, Gevgeli, Skopje, Court of Appeals, Supreme, macedonia, Spaska Mitrova

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