Balgarianovinite.com Sofia District Court ordered four people detained during the Monday protest in the capital to remain in custody on Thursday.
The four individuals are Zhulian Zhelyazkov, Kristiyan Yonchev, Lachezar Tuleshkov and Martin Ivanov, who have been charged with hooliganism during the protest. The decision is subject to appeal and protest.
According to the court, there are reasonable grounds to believe that each of the four defendants committed the offences with which they are charged. There is no risk that any of them will abscond, but there is a risk that they may commit further offences. It has not yet been established whether anyone was injured as a result of their actions, but such a circumstance is not required for the acts to be regarded as having an elevated degree of danger.
Witnesses Kiril Petrov and Kaloyan Dimitrov, employees of the Sofia Directorate of the Interior, said that they saw a group of six or seven individuals throwing firecrackers at the Council of Ministers building and at the police officers stationed in front of it. The group initially mingled with the crowd without wearing masks, but when they began throwing the firecrackers, they moved to the front and put masks on. After the group left, the police officers, having remembered their appearance, followed them and subsequently detained them.
The lawyers for the four defendants argued that the charges are based solely on the testimony of the two police officers and that there is no concrete evidence identifying who committed the acts. They also noted that no residue tests were conducted on the hands of those accused of throwing the firecrackers.
On Wednesday, the Regional Prosecutor’s Office in Sofia said it was investigating 16 pre-trial proceedings for hooliganism related to the Monday protest against the 2026 State Budget Bill held in downtown Sofia. Fourteen people aged 18 to 36 have been charged, ten of whom were initially detained for up to 72 hours. According to the prosecution, some of the defendants overturned waste containers and threw stones, pyrotechnics, and bottles at police, injuring three officers; several suspects reportedly have prior criminal records. Investigators are reviewing video footage, questioning witnesses, and considering requests for continued detention. Despite these incidents, the head of the Sofia Directorate of the Interior, Chief Commissioner Lyubomir Nikolov, described the protest as generally peaceful, noting a total of 71 arrests.
Earlier on Thursday, Interior Minister Dimitar Mitov told Parliament that Sofia Municipality had authorised only a static protest in the capital on December 1, not a march, and that securing an unapproved route was therefore impossible. He said police had set up 21 checkpoints, but part of the crowd nonetheless moved along an unauthorised route. According to Mitov, officers used pepper spray but no physical force to contain the situation. He reported that 75 people were detained in connection with the unrest, 23 of whom were already known to the authorities from previous incidents at protests.
Mitov also told Parliament that there was no reason for him to resign. He noted that grounds for resignation could exist if an incident had occurred resulting in mass casualties or serious health problems, or if there were a debate over whether the police had used excessive force or violence.
Continue the Change Co-chair Assen Vassilev and Yes, Bulgaria Co-chair Ivaylo Mirchev called on Interior Minister Daniel Mitov to resign, saying that he had allowed police officers to be assaulted during a peaceful protest and a peaceful march. Continue the Change – Democratic Bulgaria (CC-DB) Deputy Floor Leader Bozhidar Bozhanov said “a handful of provocateurs”, instigated by the government, and “most likely from Movement for Rights and Freedoms – New Beginning Chair and Floor Leader Delyan Peevski himself”, drew media attention away from the protest main objective, “because the police response was inadequate.” Sofia District Court Keeps Four Protest Detainees in Custody 2025 THE NEWS FROM BULGARIA – NEWS AGENCY 2009-2025 2025-12-04 19:20:17 Latest news World news Country news Most important news latest news most important latest of the day Justice Petar Nizamov Feathers Petar Nizamov- Feathers Justice bg iustitia.bg iustitia iusticia usticia investigation Burgas Bulgaria news news of the last hour news of the day news of today Bulgaria news The news from Bulgaria blitz news top news most important most commented latest news Boyko Borisov news weather coronavirus news news weather facebook youtube facebook instagram news today news of the last minutes news today today news news bg news leading news hot news bg news site for news all news news bg news of the last hour latest latest news bg news of today news today news today news of the last hour latest news today news bg news news 24 hours news vesti bg novini news world bird bg bivol bg bivol trud bg novini latest news today novinite bg news hello bulgaria political party coat of arms delyan peevski scandalous Bulgarian National Television Free Europe Television scandal exclusive live tv live right now tv tv online tv program bg live now tv news online tv online live court Burgas court Burgas district court Burgas court Burgas district court Burgas district court Burgas appellate court Burgas prosecutor Burgas prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Prosecutor General Ivan Geshev Prosecutor Geshev Tsatsarov Ministry of Internal Affairs Burgas ODMR Burgas ODPR Burgas police Burgas district police Burgas prosecutor Tsatsarov SGS cases Varna court chairman of the SGS court decisions on civil cases decisions on cases Plovdiv court decision of the court decisions cases Varna court criminal cases district district court decisions work in the court SGS chairman of the SGS judges Sofia court post judges Plovdiv court Plovdiv judges Plovdiv Supreme Court Inspectorate Supreme Court Supreme Judicial Council lawyer lawyer criminal cases lawyer civil cases lawyer marriage cases lawyer administrative criminal law criminal process civil law civil process administrative law constitutional law
