Three young men from the Ryahovtsi village, Gabrovo District, were sentenced Monday for profanation of the Bulgarian national flag.

On the night of May 19, 2007, the 19-year old Hasan, the 20-year old Ibrahim, and a younger boy with initials H.P. tore down the Bulgarian flag from its pole in the center of the village, threw it on the ground, and started to step on it. After that they tore it into pieces.

The young men could get up to 2 years in prison, but were only sentenced to pay fines because this was the first crime they ever committed. Hasan was sentenced to pay BGN 1000, and Ibrahim - BGN 1500.

The three men admitted of committing the crime but explained that they had done it after they were coming home drunk from a disco. They deny having had any ethnically motivated reasons for insulting the Bulgarian flag.