Bikers Protest in front of Turkish Embassy over Defendant in Hiding

A protest of a group of bikers was held on Thursday in front of a court and later in front of the Turkish Embassy in Sofia over the trial against a Turkish national charged with the death of two bikers in July.

Faruk Bektaş was placed under house arrest upon a ruling by a first-instance court on July 28. Several days earlier in the morning of Sunday, July 24, a collision between his car and a couple riding a motorbike claimed the lives of the bikers.

The Bulgarian News Agency (BTA) quotes police officials as saying he could not be found at the address where he was to stay under house arrest and has not been there since July 31. The news was announced as the Sofia Court of Appeals was sitting on his custody measure on Thursday.

Since the court's ruling, bikers protested against the house arrest, arguing the defendant would leave the country. They also called for tighter road safety measures, blaming the incident on speeding.

Bektaş was on his way home from Germany to Turkey when the accident occurred.