MINELRES: Bulgaria: A Roma Man Severely Beaten up by Policemen in Kjustendil
MINELRES moderator
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Mon Sep 30 10:09:01 2002
Original sender: Human Rights Project <[email protected]>
HUMAN RIGHTS PROJECT*
Bulgaria: A Roma Man Severely Beaten up by Policemen in Kjustendil
Sofia, September 06, 02 � On August 21, 02 about 10 AM three policemen
from Kjustendil (a town, located on the Western part of the country
very close to the border with Serbia and Macedonia) cruelly beaten up
28 years old Stefan Liydov Traianov, a man by Roma origin.
Mr. Traianov has been summoned in the police station in order to give
data on a larceny that had been committed. When Mr. Traianov came in
the police station the policemen told him that there were proofs and
witnesses that showed he has committed the theft. They called on the
victim to own up his deed. Mr. Traianov gave up.
After this in the room entered three policemen and one of them putted
handcuffs on the hands of the Roma man. Mr. Trainov has been brought
up from the building of the police station and the main entrance was
not used but the local one at the backside of the edifice. The man was
putted in a car along with three policemen. When the car came out from
the town it entered into a forest. Mr. Trainov was putted out from the
car and the three policemen took splinters and begun to beat by them
the victim. He claims that by the time of the trashing he twice lost
consciousness. After the end of the thrashing the victim was hung up
at branch of the three and one of the policemen begun to pull the legs
of the man in order to torture him. Beside this the policemen putted
handcuffs at the legs of Mr. Trainaov and began kick him. When the
policemen understood he did not give up from him position they putted
out the handcuffs of Mr. Trainov came back to the town.
On the way to the town one of the policemen said to Mr. Trainov he
should kept his mouth closed because if he tells to someone about the
torture he would "vanish into space". They left him on the road far from
the town. The victim affirms he did not move and because of it he lied
down on the road about an hour. After this two of him neighbors passed
by with cart and helped him to go to his home. He asserts he was
poured into blood.
Afternoon one of the policemen went to the victim and returned him his
Identification Card that they were took from him in the morning. He
told him that he did not know anything about the beating. Later the
victim went to the physician and he has issued him a medical
certificate. According to it there are a lot of haematomata and
abrasions on the all body as well as a bruise on the left ankle joint
and a tumefaction.
Human Rights Project has sent an information about the incident to the
Ministry of Inferior also a message to the Office of the Sofia
Regional Military Prosecutor with data about the committed crime by the
three policemen. The names of the policemen are known. We helped to
the victim to lodge a complaint and will give him all possible legal
help.
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*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 [email protected] 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: [email protected] and [email protected]