Organizers of the ongoing protest rallies in Bulgaria's Black Sea city of Varna have been intimidated and pressured by "local businessmen and their bodyguards", Bulgarian Ombudsman Konstantin Penchev has alarmed.

Penchev on Tuesday sent a recommendation to Bulgaria's Chief Prosecutor Sotir Tsatsarov, the resigning Interior Minister Tsvetan Tsvetanov, the Varna District Governor and the head of the Varna Municipal Council after he was himself tipped off by demonstrators about the intimidation of the protest leaders.

According to the petition submitted to the Ombudsman, there are allegations of intimidation coupled with claims that the state authorities in Varna have done nothing to tackle the problem.

In his letter to the Chief Prosecutor and the Interior Minister, Bulgaria's Ombudsman points out that the allegations state there have been threats and physical violence against organizers of the protests in Varna on part of people described as "local businessmen and their bodyguards".

Penchev further notes that there are also claims that police officers from the Interior Ministry were also involved in the intimidation of the protest leaders.

Those who appealed to the Ombudsman claim that the police in Varna are arresting protesters without any legal grounds, and that the arrests are terminated only after intervention by the media.

"This interference with the protests is ruining the foundations of direct democracy in the Republic of Bulgaria. I would like to underscore that the use of force by the law enforcement institutions should be applied only when absolutely necessary, and by observing the principle of proportionality," he recommends, stressing that the various viewpoints regarding the protests and the issues raised must be defended and respected.

"I see this diversity of ideas and the people's necessity to state their views as a big step in the development of a civil society in Bulgaria," the Ombudsman writes.

"In this situation, it is the great responsibility of the state and municipal institutions to exert maximum efforts to maintain order and defend the people's rights so that the just protests of the Bulgarian citizens would not be marred by violence," he adds.

Penchev's letter comes comes as Varna Mayor Kiril Yordanov is expected to announce his resignation on Wednesday.

Yordanov has been often slammed for his close ties with the TIM security and business group, which is alleged to control tightly the affairs of the Varna Municipality.

Mass protests in Varna – reaching a turnout of 70 000 on Sunday – have demanded Yordanov's resignation, and so has the Bulgarian Jan Palach – 36-year-old Plamen Goranov who set himself on fire in front of the municipality building to protest the government of Varna and died in hospital 11 days later.

TIM is a major security and business group which is said to control tightly the politics and economy in Varna, and according to US diplomatic cables leaked on WikiLeaks is rooted in the 1990s organized crime. Its group of companies includes the Central Cooperative Bank, Chimimport, Bulgaria Air, among many others.

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