A Bulgarian arms manufacturer who was poisoned in 2015 appealed on his government Tuesday to raise his case internationally, saying it echoed that of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny.

Three Russians were charged over the poisoning of Emiliyan Gebrev, who fell ill in April 2015 along with his son and company manager.

However, in an open letter Gebrev condemned the fact that the Bulgarian investigation had now been suspended and said that the international focus on Navalny's poisoning "creates an opportunity to widen and deepen its scope".

In the letter, addressed to Prime Minister Boyko Borisov and Chief Prosecutor Ivan Geshev, Gebrev appealed on the Bulgarian government to bring his case "to the agenda of the discussions on these issues, which are beginning in the EU and NATO".

Gebrev told AFP that "shedding light on this case is important for the world... in order to prevent or minimise the possibility of such an event happening again".

The Gebrev case and that of former Russian double agent Sergei Skripal have both been linked, by the investigative Bellingcat website, to a high-ranking Russian military intelligence officer it named as Denis Vyacheslavovich Sergeev.

Bellingcat has reported that Sergeev visited Bulgaria at the same time as Gebrev was poisoned, and that he also entered the UK two days before the Skripal poisoning.

Skripal and his daughter were the victims of a poison attack in the UK in 2018 while Navalny was taken to Germany for medical treatment last month after falling ill in Russia.

Navalny's aides have said they suspect he drank a cup of spiked tea at a Siberian airport.

Germany says there is "unequivocal evidence" Navalny had been poisoned with the Soviet-era nerve agent Novichok, the same substance used in the Skripal attack.

As for the investigation in Bulgaria, it has been "suspended but not closed," Siyka Mileva, spokeswoman for the Bulgarian prosecutors' department, told AFP.

The probe is on hold while prosecutors await replies to requests for help to other countries, Mileva said.

Related Links
The Long War - Doctrine and Application

Tweet

Thanks for being here; We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain. With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords. Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year. If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Contributor $5 Billed Once credit card or paypal		SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter $5 Billed Monthly paypal only

NATO demands Moscow reveal Novichok programme
Brussels (AFP) Sept 4, 2020
NATO on Friday called for an international probe into the poisoning of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny and demanded Moscow reveal its Novichok nerve agent programme to the global chemical weapons watchdog. After an emergency meeting of NATO's ruling council, alliance chief Jens Stoltenberg said all countries were united in condemning the "horrific" attack on Navalny. Germany, where Navalny is being treated, briefed the other 29 nations on the case and Stoltenberg said there was "proof b ... read more