Bulgarians Protest Against Detention Of Varna Mayor On Corruption Charges

Thousands of people demonstrated in Sofia on July 16 over the arrest of the mayor of Varna, Blagomir Kotsev, a week earlier. Kotsev is accused of soliciting a bribe, but one official who gave testimony against him later said he had been pressured into making the statement. Supporters of Kotsev say the Bulgarian government's Anti-Corruption Commission is being used as a political tool against leaders belonging to opposition parties.