Violence against Roma in Bulgaria

The Equal Opportunities Initiative Association (EOA) is a Roma Human Rights Advocacy Organization, created to provide legal services for the Roma communities and to advocate for the cause of the equal opportunities in Bulgaria. The organization is based in Sofia Fakulteta Roma District.

With the present EOA is informing for accidents, which involve police brutality and racist misconduct against Roma and call for joint civil society action to support the victims and to prevent future incidents. The team of EOA is very concerned with the tension created in the last weeks and alarms the civil society with the fact that after the EU accession we registered significantly higher percentage of cases of police and civilian groups violence against Roma.

1. On 10.11.2006 a young Roma man – Nikolay Iliev Mihaylov, age 31, has been stopped on a gas station by a private guards, and accused that he has stolen goods from the station’s shop. He was handcuffed and heavily beaten. His nose and teeth were broken. Later on Nikolay has been driven to the 6th Police station and detained for 24 hours. Later on the next day the actual perpetrator of the theft has been found and arrested and Nikolay has been released. The EOA legal staff accompanied him for a medical check-up and assisted for obtaining of a medical certificate for the injuries, caused by the gards. The signal has been initiated and presented on November 28th 2006.

2. On June 5th 2007, around 6.30 a.m., joint police forces from Sofia III Police Unit and the Sofia Police Directorate performed an action (ID check connected with the expected visit of the US President in Bulgaria) in Fakulteta Sofia Roma district.

In the course of the police action a young Roma boy – Anton Vulkov, age 20, was stopped in front of his house and asked to present his ID. The boy answered that his ID is at home and he can present it in a minute. The police officers however started to beat him and caused him body injuries. Finally, all in blood, Anton was detained in the III Police Unit.
His family signalized the team of EOA. The members of the legal department checked the case and provided legal assistance to the detained person. Anton has been released at 11.30 on the same day. The EOA legal staff accompanied him for a medical check-up and assisted for obtaining of a medical certificate for the injuries, caused by the police.

The signal has been initiated and presented on June 6th 2007.

A signal has been also addressed to the Ministry of Interior with a claim for disciplinary measures against the police officers who abused his power.

3. On June 14th 2007 around 8.00 a.m., a young Roma boy from the town of Samokov – Vladimir Velinov Georgiev, has been stopped by a police patrol while going to bring home his horse from the nearest field. The patrol handcuffed him with no explanation and escorted him to the local police station. He was detained there and beaten by one of the patrolling policeman while his colleague was watching without trying to stop him. Vladimir was then detained in the station’s basement with few of the police dogs around him. The boy was released around 5.30 p.m. The EOA legal staff accompanied him for a medical check-up and assisted for obtaining of a medical certificate for the injuries, caused by the police.

The signal has been initiated and presented on June 29th 2007.

A signal has been also addressed to the Ministry of Interior with a claim for disciplinary measures against the police officers who abused his power.

4. On July 16th around 10.30 p.m. a police patrol stopped before the house of Ms. Krastina Vassileva from the town of Veliko Turnovo. At first the patrol asked two men of her family for IDs. Then for no reason the policemen started to beat the boys. Other family members, including Krastina, and her disabled granddaughter stood to ask the policemen to stop. The policemen called another patrol car instead and few of the people presented have been detained. Some of the Roma were heavily beaten, one of them was later driven to a hospital. The detained have been released in the morning of the next day. The AMALIPE center assisted Krastina to address the Pleven Military Prosecution Office with a signal for the police misconduct. EOA’s team consulted the colleagues from AMALIPE upon their request.

5. On July 31st 2007 a young Roma man – Encho Angelov, age 22, has been attacked for no reason by one of his colleagues at the hotel where he works. Encho was beaten, his nose was broken. No one stood to defend him. Later on he was released from work, as his superviser explained that it is a fancy hotel where they work and such accidents ruin the image of the place. The EOA legal staff assisted him for a medical check-up and assisted for obtaining of a medical certificate for the injuries, caused by the guards.

6. On August 21st 2007, around 10.30 p.m. a young Roma boy from the town of Samokov – Asparuh Ivov Atanasov, age 17, was stopped and attacked in the center of the town, while walking with his friends. Asparuh was attacked by four Bulgarians (two of them minors). For no reason, but just few days after an ethnic conflict, which arose in Krasna Polyana sub-district in Sofia and was broadly discussed in the media, the four Bulgarian have beaten to death Asparuh. He died the same evening.

A preliminary investigation has been opened on the case in the Sofia Regional Police Directorate and under the revision of the Sofia regional prosecution Office.

The parents of the boy addressed the EOA’s legal program, and the team assists them, representing the family of the victim in the course of the preliminary investigation. Two of the perpetrators are detained and two (the minors) are released on bail.

7. On 7 September 2007 around 10.30 p.m. a police patrol stopped before the house of Mr. Plamen Vassilev Zlatinov from the town of Velingrad. At first the patrol asked Plamen for ID, stating that the Roma create a noise and the neighbors called tem. Then for no reason the policemen started to beat the Plamen, took him out of the house and arrested him. The detained has been released in the morning of the next day. The EOA legal staff asked him for a medical check-up and assisted for obtaining of a medical certificate for the injuries, caused by the police.