Five Remain in Custody Following December 1 Protest in Sofia

Five of the 71 people arrested during the large protest in Sofia on Monday remain in custody. Among them is Nikolay Alexiev, whose mother has claimed he was subjected to police violence. According to the prosecution, the young people are considered a danger to society and there is a risk they could commit further offences. Earlier, Bozhidar, the son of Atanas Bobokov, was released under a signed undertaking.

Those still held include Julien Zhelyazkov from Sliven, and Kristian Yonchev, Luchezar Tuleshkov, and Martin Ivanov from the Lyulin district of Sofia. The latter two have no prior convictions; Julien has a criminal record, and Kristian has been convicted twice.

Alexiev remains in custody. His mother reported that he was beaten not only at the protest but also at the police station. According to the prosecution, however, he poses a risk of committing another crime. He was identified by law enforcement by his distinctive jacket, and authorities reportedly found a mask and pyrotechnic materials in his possession. There is also evidence of alcohol consumption.

Boryana Kangaladjieva, prosecutor, said: “I requested that these individuals be detained by the Sofia District Court because I determined they are of extremely high public danger, and their actions were of the same nature. The court agreed with my assessment, and all four were remanded in custody.”

Svetoslav Tuleshkov, father of one of the detainees, said: “All the children were with me until 10pm. They were neither armed nor acting aggressively. I told them that if they were going,they should go with their mothers. Two officers monitored them for four hours while they were only throwing small firecrackers. Why didn’t they take fingerprints? They offered to voluntarily undergo a lie detector test, but it wasn’t carried out.”

Desislava Alexieva, mother of Nikolay Alexiev, added: “Not only has there been police misconduct, but he is the only one for whom a permanent custody order has been requested. I see no grounds for this, given that he suffered police violence and his health has been extremely poor since the start of his detention. He has a head injury and was further beaten at the police station — not by officers from the Fifth police station, which he asked me to say explicitly."

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