Roma Community Protests Treatment of a Hitand- Run Case Involving a Romani Youth

13 November 2006

According to a report by the online publication Focus News Agency, on 3 April 2006, 100 Roma protested against the lax reaction of officials following the killing of Traycho Cherkezov, a 15-year-old Romani boy, in a 2 April hit-and-run incident in Sofia. Traycho's brother, who was not named, reportedly witnessed the incident. He was quoted as having stated that the driver of the vehicle that hit his brother, whom he believed to be drunk, was driving at more than 100 kilometres per hour in the opposite lane. Focus News Agency reported that medical services did not show up until more than 40 minutes had passed. Traycho Cherkezov died that night in hospital. Traycho's brother was also quoted as stating that the driver of the vehicle was not tested for alcohol. Members of the Romani community alleged that the driver was a police officer and was being protected by his colleagues. The protesters demanded that the truth be revealed and that the police take appropriate action. As of 18 September, no furthue information was available.

(Focus News Agency)