A protest was held in the centre of Sofia against the procedure for the election of a new Prosecutor General, organised by “Justice for Everyone”. The main speaker at the event was lawyer Velislav Velichkov, who categorically stated:
“If we don’t act now, Borislav Sarafov will be prosecutor general and Delyan Peevski will rule the state.”
Velichkov stressed that the only way to fight the mafia is through citizens’ activism.
“The state, when it is in the hands of the mafia, can beat, can arrest, can do everything, but it cannot take away our vote. It’s not a question of fighting, it’s a question of defeating them through civic activism, through action and through elections. This is the only way”, he told the protesters.
The protest was organised in the space between the Presidency, the Parliament and the Council of Ministers, with hundreds of citizens demanding an end to the procedure for the election of a new Prosecutor General. Velichkov recalled the importance of civic mobilisation and gave the example of the 2013 protests when Delyan Peevski was stopped from taking the post of SANS chief.
“Do you remember 2013? How did we stop Peevski for the head of SANS? With 30-40 thousand people every day on the square. I guarantee you that with 30 thousand people on the square every day, Sarafov will not be prosecutor general!”
The protesters expressed their categorical disagreement with the procedure, which they called „vicious“ and „custom-made“. Traffic on Tsar Osvoboditel Boulevard was temporarily restricted and there was an increased police presence in the area. The protest ended without incident around 20:00.
Lawyer Velichkov also addressed the politicians who want to get the support of free citizens:
“If we go out to vote 30 percent in the elections, Peevski takes the whole country. This is the truth.”
He urged citizens to vote and support the only parties that would introduce bills related to „Justice for Everyone“ and block the procedure for the election of Borislav Sarafov.
The organizers of the protest also collected signatures demanding to stop the procedure for the election of a new Prosecutor General, which will be sent to Parliament and the Presidency. Lawyer Petar Slavov from „Justice for Everyone“ also called on the MPs to address the Constitutional Court on the issue of the expired mandate of the Supreme Judicial Council.
“We expect politicians and candidates for MPs who are not on the mafia team to show it by joining this protest”, organisers said.
During the protest, lawyer Emil Georgiev of the initiative said:
“Once again we have a candidacy that, while not quite the same as five years ago, is at least as controversial, mostly because of the candidate’s personal qualities and affiliations. Borislav Sarafov has not dispelled doubts about his ties to the backstage.”
In conclusion, lawyer Velichkov sent a strong message to the citizens:
“If we don’t flood the streets and squares with people – not to fight, but to show our civil intransigence, Borislav Sarafov will be prosecutor general and Peevski will be the head of state.”
The protest organisers are adamant that citizens must act now to oppose the election of Borislav Sarafov as Prosecutor General and show that democratic rights and civil liberties cannot be taken away.
