site.btaProsecution Charges 14 People with Hooliganism after Monday Night Protests

The Regional Prosecutor's Office Sofia is looking into 16 pre-trial proceedings for hooliganism in downtown Sofia that allegedly took place on Monday, the prosecution service reported on Wednesday. Fourteen people have been charged so far.

Ten of the defendants have been detained for up to 72 hours, while the rest have been subjected to other measures to ensure their appearance in court. The evidence gathered so far indicates that the defendants committed acts of hooliganism that grossly violated public order and showed clear disrespect for the public. The prosecution alleges that the defendants overturned waste containers and threw stones, pyrotechnic devices, and glass bottles at police officers. Three officers were injured.

Six of the detainees have previous criminal records, two have been convicted of driving under the influence of drugs and trafficking refugees, and two others have pending pre-trial proceedings. The defendants are between 18 and 36 years old.

The prosecution service has ordered that additional camera recordings be requested, witnesses be questioned, and expert analyses of the video recordings be conducted. A decision is pending on whether and for which defendants the court will be asked to order their continued detention. At present, the Regional Prosecutor's Office Sofia continues to receive materials from police departments regarding acts of hooliganism committed by individuals on December 1 in the city centre.

Monday night saw tens of thousands of citizens taking to the streets in Sofia and major regional centres across Bulgaria to protest the adoption of the 2026 State Budget Bill.

The following day, Chief Commissioner Lyubomir Nikolov, head of the Sofia Directorate of the Interior, told a press conference that the protest proceeded peacefully, quietly, and calmly, with a total of 71 arrests conducted by the police. He said that additional arrests are likely to take place.