The "Angels of the Road" association will hold a protest outside the courthouse in Burgas on Tuesday, 3 November, from 8:30am, against the release of Nikola Burgazliev from custody. The group called for action on social media: "It's time to act!"

The Burgas Regional Court changed the restraint measure for the 19-year-old defendant on Thursday, 29 October. Instead of being held in custody, he is now under house arrest with an electronic tag, the court's press office said.

How the story began: Burgazliev will be under house arrest with an electronic tag in the Sunny Beach ATV crash case

The association wants more people who disagree with the change to hear about the protest. It will take place just before a hearing in the case, set for the same day.

Burgazliev is charged with hitting pedestrians with an ATV in Sunny Beach on 14 August 2025. A 35-year-old woman from Plovdiv died and three people were seriously injured. They included her young son, who was left with severe disabilities.

The court ruled on an appeal by the defendant and his lawyers. Burgazliev may not leave his home or Bulgaria without the court's permission. One judge on the panel signed the ruling with a dissenting opinion.

After more than 14 months in custody, the court explained, the harshest measure needs specific grounds, such as a risk of absconding that a milder measure cannot limit. The judges said the suspicion that Burgazliev was involved is reasonable and has not gone away.

The judges also took into account the seriousness of the charge and the penalty set by law. They noted that the defendant has no criminal record, has good references and has lasting family ties in Bulgaria. During an earlier house arrest, he did not break the restrictions.

The judges said that although the risk of absconding has not fully gone away, the tag and the ban on leaving home give enough control. The ruling says the new measure does not downplay the grave consequences and the suffering of the victims and their families.

The court said the measure is meant to stop the defendant from fleeing, committing another crime or obstructing the sentence. It is not a way of serving the punishment early. The verdict, once the trial ends, will decide the question of guilt and criminal liability.

The ruling is not final. It can be appealed to the Burgas Court of Appeal within seven days.

Technical expert reports on the vehicle show that the ATV's brakes were not applied before the impact.

Burgazliev was first tested for alcohol and drugs at the district police station in Nessebar. The officers did not have their body cameras on, and the camera in the patrol car was not working. The first test was negative, but a later laboratory analysis found tetrahydrocannabinol.