site.btaProtesting Varna Residents Demand Release of Mayor Blagomir Kotsev from Custody

Residents of Varna once again took to the streets on Thursday, demanding the release of Mayor Blagomir Kotsov and municipal councillors Nikolay Stefanov and Yordan Katelyev, who remain in custody. Protesters carried placards showing their frustration with the government and the way justice is administered in this country. They called for immediate action to review Kotsov’s detention, accusing the prosecution of deliberately delaying the process and violating legal procedures. Protesters chanted slogans such as “We want our mayor back” and “Victory.”

The protest was joined by Continue the Change leader Assen Vassilev, Continue the Change – Democratic Bulgaria co-floor leader Nikolay Denkov, acting Varna Mayor Pavel Popov, deputy mayors, municipal councillors, and others.

Addressing the crowd, Vassilev criticized those in power for raising administrative fees - such as electricity, water, vignettes, and toll rates - and for taking on more debt in the last six months than in the previous three years. He noted that a request to review Kotsov’s detention was filed more than a week ago, but the prosecution service continues to delay, claiming the counter-corruption commission has not yet provided the necessary documents. Vassilev said that if needed, he and his colleagues would personally retrieve the documents from the commission and deliver them to the prosecution office and then to the court.

Acting Mayor Pavel Popov also addressed the crowd, saying that the people of Varna would continue to resist efforts to determine a person’s fate based on their proximity to those in power.

The protest ended with a march to Varna’s central square.

Kotsev was arrested on July 8. That same day, the prosecution service said that the counter-corruption commission had launched a raid in Varna under the supervision of the Sofia City Prosecution Office (SCPO). The following day, the SCPO announced that four people had been charged and detained for 72 hours as part of a corruption investigation in Varna.

On July 11, the Sofia City Court began examining the detention measures of Varna Mayor Blagomir Kotsev, councillors Yordan Kateliev and Nikolay Stefanov, and businessman Ivaylo Marinov. Hours later, the court ruled to keep all four in custody. On July 18, the Sofia Appellate Court upheld the decision, leaving Kotsev and the two councillors in custody. The court released businessman Ivaylo Marinov on his own recognizance, citing insufficient evidence linking him to the other three.

Several protests have taken place since the detention, the most recent being on September 2.