Rebuttal – Focus News Agency

TO

THE MANAGEMENT

OF THE FOCUS AGENCY

AND FOCUS RADIO NETWORK

HERE

Dear Ladies and Gentlemen of the Focus Agency and Radio Network,

I am writing to you in my capacity as Director of the Institute for the State and the Law at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences in connection with the interview with Borislav Tsekov, PhD, broadcast on 13 March 2020, in which he presents himself as a “doctor of constitutional law at the Institute for the State and the Law at the BAS”. In fact, B. Tsekov defended a dissertation on the topic “Anti-Jewish Restrictions from Antiquity to the 20th Century: Constitutional-Law and Legal-Historical Aspects” on 5 July 2016, but this does not automatically make him a member of the Institute’s scientific staff. He has never been a member of the academic staff of the ISL.

We categorically object to the use of the name of the ISL in the publication in question by your media outlet. We wish the wording “doctor of constitutional law at the Institute for the State and the Law at the BAS” to be removed from the website immediately after the name of Borislav Tsekov.

It should be stressed that we are not commenting on the veracity or otherwise of the statements made in the interview by B. Tsekov, PhD, and we take no position on them.

The ISL wishes its name not to be used by persons who have never been members of its academic staff.

I contacted the duty reporters of Focus radio network today on this matter by telephone. I hope they have informed those responsible for the editorial policy of the media outlet.

We insist that the affiliation of B. Tsekov, PhD, with the ISL be removed immediately. Otherwise, we will refer the matter to the competent state authorities regarding the dissemination of false information in your esteemed media outlet.

14 March 2020

Prof. I. Ilieva

Director of the ISL

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