A letter written on behalf of President Georgi Purvanov, and signed by his legal adviser, reminded UK authorities that according to the Convention on the Transfer of Sentenced Persons (article 12) each party to this convention may grant a pardon, amnesty or commutation of a sentence in accordance with its constitution or laws. The letter referred to UK citizen Michael Shields (21) who was sentenced by a Bulgarian court to 15 years in jail for trying to kill Bulgarian bartender Martin Georgiev in 2005. Georgiev was brutally attacked and injured after Shields hit him with a stone on the head. The incident permanently impaired Georgiev’s ability to work. In 2006 Shields was moved to a UK prison.