Sofia city prosecutors will appeal to the Sofia Court of Appeal against a ruling that frees Kristian Nikolov from prison early on parole. Nikolov was convicted over the death of journalist Milen Tsvetkov in a car crash. The prosecutors' office said this.

The Sofia City Court allowed his release today. Nikolov has a little over 2 years left of his 9-year sentence, and the probation period is the same length.

The court also ordered him to join a community service programme as a probation measure.

The judges said Nikolov had shown by his behaviour that he had reformed. Prosecutors do not agree with this finding of the first-instance court.

In the appeal, they will ask the Court of Appeal to overturn the ruling and reject the request for release. They will set out their detailed reasons in the appeal itself.