EditRenew Europe rallies behind MEP Ilhan Kyuchyuk amid politically motivated immunity challenge
The episode exposes the limitations of EPPO which executes requests from national authorities even though these appear to be politically motivated
Renew Europe has issued a strong condemnation of the request to lift the parliamentary immunity of Bulgarian MEP Ilhan Kyuchyuk, labeling it a politically motivated attack orchestrated in retaliation for his principled stand against Magnitsky-sanctioned oligarch Delyan Peevski.
During a presser on 16 December, Valérie Hayer, leader of the Renew Europe group in the European Parliament, expressed “deep concern” over the move by the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO), announced just a day earlier in Strasbourg plenary.
“We condemn the move by the Bulgarian authorities as politically motivated and directed against a principled and credible opposition figure,” Hayer declared.
Kyuchyuk, a Renew MEP since 2014 and current chair of the Parliament’s Legal Affairs Committee, has emerged as a vocal critic of Peevski’s growing influence. The conflict intensified after Peevski’s 2024 “hostile takeover” of the Movement for Rights and Freedoms (DPS), a liberal party traditionally representing Bulgaria’s Turkish minority. Peevski ousted founder Ahmed Dogan, sidelined critics, and centralized power, prompting a party split. Kyuchyuk led efforts in Brussels to expel Peevski’s faction from the ALDE party (Renew’s predecessor), succeeding in December 2024.
Hayer highlighted Kyuchyuk’s “political courage and full integrity” in refusing to legitimize Peevski’s capture of the party.
“By publicly breaking with the party structure captured by oligarchic interests, he knowingly paid a political price,” she said, noting that allies were marginalized under evident pressure.
Peevski, sanctioned under the U.S. Global Magnitsky Act for corruption and influence peddling, controls vast media outlets and is accused of wielding undue sway over Bulgaria’s prosecution and security services.
The immunity waiver request, presumed to stem from Bulgarian prosecution signals to EPPO, coincides with nationwide protests against corruption and state capture.
“Given Peevski’s record, neither the timing nor the method can be considered coincidental,” Hayer stated. “At a time when Bulgarian citizens have taken to the streets to protest corruption, state capture, and governance failures, this case sends a deeply troubling signal.”
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Kyuchyuk, informed of the request days before the Strasbourg announcement, described it as an attempt to “tarnish my name, my reputation, and the trust I have earned.” He has pledged full cooperation, insisting he has “nothing to hide,” and will recuse himself from his committee’s handling of the case to avoid conflicts.
Renew Europe’s firm backing underscores broader EU concerns over Bulgaria’s rule of law. “Renew Europe will not be intimidated,” Hayer affirmed. “Democratic institutions exist to protect pluralism, not to serve political retaliation. We stand firmly with Ilhan Kyuchyuk and with all those in Bulgaria who continue to defend democracy against state capture and intimidation.”
As Bulgaria faces ongoing political instability – with recent government resignations and early elections looming – the episode highlights the perils of oligarchic interference in an EU member state, as well as the limitations of EPPO which executes requests from national authorities even though these appear to be politically motivated.
Caption: JURI Chair Ilhan Kyuchyuk on 11 December 2025. [European Parliament Multimedia Centre]
Magnitsky-sanctioned oligarch seeks to strip leading MEP of immunity
Updated: December 16, 2025 - 13:03
