Minister of Internal Affairs Ivan Demerdzhiev and Deputy Minister Kaloyan Kaloyanov attended a ceremony honoring the memory of the officers of the First Police Department – Burgas Atanas Gradev and Yordan Iliev. The two police officers lost their lives on August 25, 2022, while performing their official duties – they stopped a bus carrying migrants who had illegally crossed the border of the Republic of Bulgaria. They were swept away by the vehicle. The families of the two deceased Burgas police officers are outraged by the 20-year prison sentence that the Burgas District Court handed down to Omar Adnan, who was driving the bus on the fatal date.
The memorial ceremony was held at the monument next to the “Trapezitsa“ roundabout in Burgas. Demerdzhiev also launched the Republican Police Shooting Tournament, dedicated to the memory of the two police officers.
“There are moments that are always remembered. Today, 4 years after their deaths, I will not forget the moment when the Secretary General of the Ministry of Internal Affairs called me and informed me of their tragic death. I saw them off on their last journey and the memory of their sacrifice remains with me. These are two brave men who went down in history because we were faced with an unprecedented wave of migrants, and the police officers protected their fellow citizens by laying their bodies in front of the bus that killed them. The case initiated in connection with their deaths has not yet been concluded. I strongly appeal to representatives of the judiciary to do everything possible and necessary to show that they appreciate the feat of the two and issue a final judicial act”, said Demerdzhiev.
During the event, the minister honored 16-year-old Stiliyan Trendafilov and his 17-year-old friend Tonislav Lekov from the village of Kosharitsa for their courage and assistance in extinguishing a fire that threatened properties in their village a few days ago.