15-year-old accused in Georgi Kuzev murder seeks release from custody
Plovdiv Court of Appeal is holding a closed hearing to decide whether to continue detaining the 15-year-old Kristian D. for the murder of 37-year-old Georgi Kuzev on Youth Hill.
Plovdiv Court of Appeal considers measure for 15-year-old Kristian D.
Plovdiv Court of Appeal is holding a closed hearing to decide whether to confirm the detention of 15-year-old Kristian D. on charges of murdering 37-year-old Georgi Kuzev on Youth Hill in Plovdiv, according to Novinite.com. The teenager has requested a less stringent measure for restraint to return home whilst protesters gathered outside the courthouse demanding harsh punishment for all accused.
Eight minors charged in Kuzev death
Kristian was detained and charged approximately a week ago alongside two 17-year-old boys. With their arrests, the total number of pupils charged in the case reached eight — six boys and two girls.
Kuzev died in hospital after passers-by discovered him in a helpless state on 4 August and called emergency services at 17:29. He was taken to a medical facility with serious head trauma, multiple fractures and internal injuries. Despite medical efforts, he died a few hours later.
Police initially detained around 10 young people. Five of them — three boys and two girls aged between 14 and 17 — were initially charged. They are from Plovdiv, Stara Zagora and the village of Stroevo. On 7 August, Plovdiv District Court ordered all five to remain in custody.
Lawyers for the two girls — 17-year-old Mihaela from Stara Zagora and 15-year-old Viktoria from Plovdiv — appealed their detention, but the appellate court upheld the measure.
The three newly charged are accused of deliberately murdering Kuzev on 4 August, allegedly acting together with the remaining five charged. The prosecution maintains that although the suspects are minors, they understood the nature and significance of their actions.
During Thursday's hearing it also became clear that one of the two newly detained 17-year-old boys has appealed his detention. However, the appeal was filed after the statutory deadline expired, as his lawyer was on a pre-planned holiday. Plovdiv District Court is considering a request to restore the missed deadline and is expected to rule on 8 September.
Protest outside the courthouse
Protesters gathered outside the courthouse at 09:30, demanding that juvenile perpetrators of serious crimes receive the same punishments as adults. The demonstration began with a minute's silence in Kuzev's memory. Participants held placards reading such messages as "How many more will they kill" and photographs of the victim.
While appellate judges deliberated on the measure for Kristian, demonstrators chanted "Murderer" and "Sadists in prison!"
Atanas Boyadziev, a lawyer and organiser of the protest, stated that demonstrators want a fair trial and answers from the prosecution.
"We want a fair trial. We believe that not everyone involved in his murder has been detained. The prosecution owes answers to the public," Boyadziev told Nova TV.
Some of the protesters also expressed the view that the parents of the accused teenagers should be held accountable for their children's actions.
"Since the law cannot be adequate for minors, they must bear the guilt. The family is the main culprit for this to happen," said one demonstrator.
Plovdiv resident Marin Nesterov expressed a similar view, insisting that the accused remain detained and when they reach adulthood, be tried again.
"All the aggression comes from the parents. The children see something at home and then they do it outside. We want a fair trial — for them to be detained and when they reach adulthood, to be tried and sentenced to life in prison," said Nesterov.
Source: Novinite.com