HRP report: Bulgarian Roma Protests against Systematic Electricity

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Subject: HRP report: Bulgarian Roma Protests against Systematic Electricity 

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HRP report: Bulgarian Roma Protests against Systematic
Electricity Stoppages


Human Rights Project, Bulgaria

Roma Protests against Systematic Electricity Stoppages

Press Statement, Feb. 22 2002

On February 20, 2002, the Human Rights Project visited Stolipinovo
neighbourhood of Plovdiv (Bulgaria) in relation to the mounting
tensions in the area provoked by the systematic lack of electricity in
the Romani households.

Around 25 000 Roma live in Stolipinovo and Sheker Mahala
neighbourhoods located in the city of Plovdiv, south Bulgaria.
Prolonged unemployment affecting the overwhelming part of the Roma
deprived them from basic means of subsistence. Most of the Roma from
the two neighbourhoods were unable to pay their electricity bills for
a period of last ten years. Since 1997 the electricity company of
Plovdiv has started regular electricity stoppages in the two
neighbourhoods, thus depriving numerous Romani households from
electricity even during harsh weather conditions.

Roma and non-Roma from the neighbourhood told the Human Rights Project
that since mid December 2001, Stolipinovo and Sheker Mahala
neighbourhoods had been systematically left without electricity due to
the failure of the residents to pay their electricity bills. By the
end of January 2002 about 40% of the households in Stolipinovo had no
electricity. The electricity company of Plovdiv demanded payment of
10% of the amount due by mid February 2002. When this amount was not
paid by the Roma, the electricity in Stolipinovo and Sheker Mahala was
stopped.

On February 18, 2002, at around 7 p.m. a group of around 300-400 Roma
gathered in the center of Stolipinovo to protest against the lack of
electricity. The protest was observed by police officers in charge of
the neighbourhood. At around 8:15 p.m. officials from the municipal
Public Order Service (POS are a special police forces), arrived in the
neighbourhood equipped with truncheons and shields. They made an
attempt to disperse the protesting Roma during which several women and
children were hurt - according to several witnesses they were hit with
truncheons by POS officials. In the full darkness hurt children start
screaming and this way intervention of the Public Order Service caused
panic among the protesters. Some of them started throwing stones at
the guards and injured one of them. Shortly afterwards, the policemen
and the Public Order Service left the neighbourhood, because their
intervention caused panic instead to secure the protests. At that
point some of the protesters headed towards a food store, broke its
windows and took food products. Some of the protesters also threw
stones at a passing trolley-bus and broke a second food store. At
around 21 p.m. the protesters dispersed. Police officers blocked the
way of cars and public transport into the neighbourhood. On the
following day the police searched Romani houses and arrested ten Roma
in the houses of whom they found food products from the broken stores.

The HRP spoke with the owners of the broken stores who denied the
allegations of some media that the attacks on the stores were
ethnically-motivated. Roma and non-Roma residents of the Stolipinovo
neighbourhood who were interviewed by the HRP stated that the genesis
of the protests was unresolved social problems rather than ethnic
tensions.

On February 19, 2002 negotiations started between leaders of the
Romani community, police officials, representatives of the Plovdiv
branch of the National Electricity Company, and local authorities. The
parties to the negotiations were not able to reach a decision for the
solution of the crisis in the two Romani neighbourhoods. During the
whole day the Romani households were left without electricity. At
around 19 p.m. the protests started again. One hour later, at around
20 p.m. the electricity was restored. At around 1 a.m. the electricity
was once more stopped. On February 20 the negotiations continued. At
around 19 p.m. the protests were renewed and the tension among the
Romani residents grew as there was no information about the results of
the negotiations. At 20 p.m. the electricity was restored. On February
21 the electricity company announced its decision not to stop the
electricity during the Muslim celebration of Kurban Bairam.

On February 25 the negotiations will be resumed with the purpose of
finding a long-term solution to the crisis in the neighbourhood.

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