MINELRES: Bulgaria: Call to Find the Killers of 17 Years-old Romany

[MINELRES moderator]

Original sender: Emil Cohen <emilcohen@mbox.cit.bg>


Human Rights Project* 

Press Release 

BULGARIA: Human Rights Project Calls on the Prosecutorial and Judicial
Authorities to Find the Killers of  17 Years-old Romany Anguel
Zabchikov and to Hand Over them to the Justice

Sofia, June 24, 02 - As it is well known on June 13, 02 The European
Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg found Bulgaria has been violated
four provisions of the European Convention of Human Rights (art. 2,
art.3, art. 5 and art. 13) in the case Anguelova v. Bulgaria in case
involving the death of the 17-year-old son of the applicant Mr. Anguel
Zabchikov in the custody. Both applicant and her death son are Romany
by their origin. 

The Court awarded the applicant 19,050 euros (EUR) for non-pecuniary
damage and EUR 3,500 for costs and expenses. 

The full text of decision of the Court is available on the web site of
the European Court for Human Rights:
http://www.echr.coe.int For additional details see the Press Release
of the Human Rights Project dated June 14, 02 available on the web
site of the Greek Helsinki Committee
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/balkanhr/message/4107
and also the Press Release of the European Roma Rights Center (ERRC)
that can be reached at
http://errc.org/publications/letters/2002/errc_jun_17_2002.shtml

Because of Human Rights Project is a leading human rights organization
defending the rights of Roma in Bulgaria we gave a legal help to Ms
Assia Anguelova from the beginning of the case till the lodging of
complain before the ECHR on September 20, 1997. Our juridical advisors
and especially Mr. Ilko Dimitrov did all the best in order to reach a
justice for Ms Anguelova in Bulgaria. After failure to get it in
Bulgaria they advised Ms Anguelova to lodge a complain before the
ECHR. Then ERRC took up the case and by assistance of the attorney at
law Mr. Yonko Grozev led it to the successful end. 

Unfortunately the case of Ms. Anguelova is not an alone one. We are
completely agreed with the findings of the Press Release of the ERRC
on the case: �The European Court's ruling in Anguelova has particular
significance for Roma. Throughout Europe, Roma regularly suffer abuses
� often extreme abuses - at the hands of the police and other
representatives of the state. The most common response on the part of
investigative, prosecutorial and judicial authorities to reports of
police abuse of Roma is indifference, neglect and/or hostility.
Officers are rarely prosecuted or even internally disciplined, even in
cases in which police have killed Roma� Perhaps as importantly, the
Court's ruling has sent a clear signal to European states that abuses
of Roma by state actors cannot go without judicial remedy.�

There are a lot of cases in Bulgaria in which Roma people are victims
of police brutality. Since 1992 over 20 Roma have found their death in
custody or as a result of unlawful using of guns by the police. The
decision of the ECHR on the case of Anguelova is not the first one. On
May 18, 2000 the Court decided Bulgaria has breached art. 2 and art.
13 of the ECHR in the case of Velikova v. Bulgaria. On September 25,
1994 her husband, Slavcho Tzonkov died in the custody after 12 hours
stay in the police station of Pleven, a town situated at the northern
part of Bulgaria. 

Unfortunately there are not any convicted persons who have been
responsible for the death of Mr. Slavcho Tzonkov after the decision of
the ECHR from May 18, 2000 despite of the availability of special
provision on the subject in the Penal Procedure Code (PPC) of
Bulgaria. According to Art. 362, par. 4 of the PPC �the criminal case
may be re-opened � when by a decision of the ECHR a breach of the
European Convention has been found that is of substantial importance
of the case.� 

In order to do not allow the repetition of such a situation on June
20, 02 the Human Rights Project officially sent to the Chief
Prosecutor�s Office as well as to Varna�s District Military
Prosecutor�s Office a message about the decision of the European
Court. We call on these state�s officials to do their work, to find
persons who are responsible for the death of the young Romany Anguel
Zabchikov and to hand over them to the justice. 

The Human Rights Project will monitor if and in what extent the
Prosecutor�s office will do their obligations and will inform the
public about it. 

----------------------------

*Human Rights Project was established in the summer of 1992 as a
non-profit organization focusing on monitoring the human rights
situation of the Roma in Bulgaria, and on legal defense in cases of
serious human rights abuses. The HRP monitors the human rights
situation of the Roma community in Bulgaria and reports on the cases
which it had investigated; works with Roma volunteers from all over
the country who report on the human rights observation in their
region; conduct independent extrajudicial investigation into
allegations of human rights violations against Roma; hire lawyers to
take up selected cases and monitors the process of legal defense;
advocates legislative and policy changes in favor of Roma.

Rumian Russinov is Chair of the Board of HRP. Dimitrina Petrova and
Nikolai Gouginski are members of the Board.

Emil Cohen emilcohen@mbox.cit.bg is Executive Director.
 
Our address: 23 Solunska St., 6th floor; 1000 Sofia, Bulgaria

Tel./fax: (+359 2) 986 35 46 and (+359 2) 981 50 66;

E-mail: hrproject@mbox.cit.bg and hrp@netel.bg