One Year on, Third Bulgarian Accused of Stoyan Baltov Murder

In July 2009, friends of the killed student Stoyan Baltov carried posters in front of the Judicial Palace in Sofia, calling for the guilty to be brought to justice. Photo by BGNES

A year and a day after the murder of student Stoyan Baltov in front of the disco "Amnesia" in Sofia’s Student's town, the Bulgarian Prosecutor’s Office has indicted a new person for the death of the 20-year-old.

They have now named Svetlozar Stoilov, who was previously only regarded as a witness to the incident.

The murder trial had opened in July, with two persons accused of the pharmacy student’s death – Vili Georgiev and Alexander Danailov.

Evidence provided on the witness stand by Miroslav Stanchev forced the court to return the case for the prosecution for further investigation.

Stanchev had testified that he was with the two defendants, and that he had witnessed Danailov and Stoilov kicking Baltov outside the Sofia disco.

In order to begin a new trial, all evidence gathered from the investigation has to be presented to the defendants and to the Baltov family, who had also filed a civil action against the alleged attackers of their son.

The death of the student provoked a huge outcry about conditions in the Students’ Quarter. ‘Amnesia’ disco was closed down with calls for it to be demolished; students and professors were involved in mass street protests; Boyko Borisov, then the Mayor of Sofia, sacked the Chief Architect of the Studentska municipality.

On Saturday, the actual anniversary of Stoyan Baltov’s death, many friends, family, relatives and citizens of Bulgaria’s city of Sliven gathered at a memorial service to honor his memory.

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