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Bulgarians: It's up to Britain if it wants to free Michael Shields
Nov 13 2007 by Greg O'Keeffe
THE BULGARIAN government today hinted it would not object if the UK decided to pardon Michael Shields and set him free.
President Georgi Parvanov made the admission in a letter to campaigners fighting for the release of the jailed 21-year-old.
It could prompt the British government to consider a pardon on the basis that student Michael, from Edge Hill, suffered a miscarriage of justice in Bulgaria when he was convicted of attempted murder.
City Labour leader Joe Anderson, who received the letter, hailed it as a major breakthrough in his campaign to win Liverpool fan Michael’s freedom.
Now Cllr Anderson hopes a dossier of new evidence which proves Michael’s innocence will finally be considered by the Foreign Office.
He said: “We hear what the Bulgarians are saying and that our country can commute or pardon the sentence.
“There is new evidence that Michael has been wrongly convicted of a crime he did not commit.
“The government has to accept that if this was a case tried under British law Michael would have been released by now.
“And it could be argued he never would have been convicted.
“Our government must do the honourable thing and pardon Michael.”
The letter on behalf of President Parvanov, signed by his top legal advisor Saho Penov, emphasises the UK and Bulgaria are both signatories of the Convention on the Transfer of Sentenced Persons.
It says: “Michael Shields’ problems might also be solved by the competent authorities in the United Kingdom.
“We have in mind the Convention on the Transfer of Sentenced Persons (article 12) which stipulates each party to this convention may grant pardon, amnesty or commutation of the sentence in accordance with its constitution or other laws.
‘The practices and legislation in the UK are familiar with the mechanisms for conditional discharge of sentenced persons, including their release on humanitarian grounds.”
Euro MP Arlene McCarthy, who is also campaigning for Michael’s freedom, is set to meet with President Parvanov for further talks in the next few weeks.
She said: “It has been our objective to seek the pardon of Michael and I don’t mind who does it – whether it’s the Bulgarians or the British government.”
A spokesman for the Foreign Office today said all legal representations would be considered.
In September Michael was moved to an adult prison for the first time in the UK.
Michael was arrested in Bulgaria as he returned from Liverpool's champions league victory in Istanbul.
The Bulgarian courts refused to accept alibi evidence and a confession, later retracted, by fellow Reds fan Graham Sankey.
Unbelievable, I hope it's not true and he serves his full sentence. He's just another Brit who goes abroad and thinks they are immune from punishment for whatever they get upto.
The sad thing is, when this piece of scum leaves prison he will coin it in by selling his story and it will probably be made into a film.
Michael Shields Could Be Pardoned 
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