A ceremony was held in front of the monument to the employees of the First District Police Department in Burgas, Atanas Gradev and Yordan Iliev, on the occasion of the International Day in memory of law enforcement officers who died in the line of duty.
The event was attended by Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs Kaloyan Kaloyanov, the Regional Governor of Burgas Region Dobromir Gyulev, the Director of the Regional Directorate of the Ministry of Interior, Senior Commissioner Nikolay Nenkov, the Deputy Mayor of Burgas Municipality Stanimir Apostolov, the Director of the Regional Directorate “Fire Safety and Population Protection“ – Burgas, Senior Commissioner Nikolay Nikolaev, the Director of the Regional Directorate “Border Police“ – Burgas, Senior Commissioner Plamen Momchev, as well as the Head of the Zonal Gendarmerie Department – Burgas. In addition to the official guests, relatives and friends of the deceased, their colleagues and friends attended the ceremony.
In his speech, Deputy Minister Kaloyan Kaloyanov stated that “the uniform does not only bring strength – it brings responsibility above all“. He paid tribute to all officers who died in the line of duty and stressed that their memory remains alive in the ranks of the Ministry of Interior.
Regional Governor Dobromir Gyulev drew attention to the everyday heroism of the police officers and added that all law enforcement officers face dangers every day in the name of the safety of citizens. The ceremony continued with a memorial prayer served by Archimandrite Dimitriy – archpriest of the Burgas spiritual district, and Father Sevastiyan, after which all those present bowed their heads in a minute of silence in memory of the fallen officers.
BTA recalls that the Ministry of Interior employees Atanas Gradev and Yordan Iliev died on August 28, 2022, while trying to stop a bus carrying illegal migrants. A memorial plaque was erected on the spot three years ago, entirely with donations from police officers.