Roma Teenager Beaten to Death in Bulgaria's Samokov

A Roma teenager died in a mass brawl in the town of Samokov, 35 kilometres south of capital Sofia.

The police are still investigating the incident and four people have been detained for questioning.

Initial reports claim two groups of teenagers got into a verbal fight around 11 pm on Tuesday, which escalated into a mass brawl.

Two people were injured, with one of them, the 17-year-old Roma, dying before the ambulance arrived on the spot.

Although the initial reports said the brawlers were split along ethnic lines, with Roma fighting against Bulgarians, the police have refuted these claims.

We will insist that those who caused the 17-year-old boy in Samokov to die be punished to the strictest of law – life imprisonment, Evroroma leader Tsvetelin Kanchev announced for FOCUS News Agency.

He explained the boy was very good in character. He was with a group of friends on Tuesday night when a group of Bulgarians approached them and beat them for no reason.

That’s why one day later some 1,000 Roma people gathered at Samokov downtown to protest against the murder of the 17-year-old.