Teens detained after gay man beaten to death in Bulgaria
Georgi Kuzev, 31, was found seriously injured near Youth Hill in Plovdiv at on Tuesday (4 August)
Police are investigating whether a fatal attack on a gay man in Bulgaria was motivated by his sexual orientation.
Georgi Kuzev, 31, was found seriously injured near Youth Hill in Plovdiv at around 5:20pm on Tuesday (4 August), according to Bulgarian outlet Novinite.
He was discovered by parents on their way to collect their children from a nearby nursery, who found him lying helpless and alerted emergency services.
Kuzev was rushed to hospital with severe head trauma, multiple fractures and extensive internal injuries, but died despite doctors’ efforts to save him.
Several teenagers, including minors, have been detained as the investigation continues. Prosecutors are examining whether the killing was a hate crime based on the victim’s sexual orientation, and whether he may have been lured to the scene through a dating app.
Bulgaria has repeatedly been criticised by human rights bodies over its failure to tackle homophobic violence, with the European Court of Human Rights censuring the country in 2022 over an earlier homophobic murder.
The country remains one of the European Union’s most challenging environments for LGBTQ+ people. It does not recognise same-sex partnerships, offers limited legal protections against discrimination, and in 2024 passed a law banning what it termed “LGBT propaganda” in schools.
