Human
rights news: January 2004
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23 January 2004 |
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Human Rights ProjectPress ReleaseBulgaria: Joint Press Statement of Romani Baht Foundation, the Bulgarian Helsinki Committee, Human Rights Project and the ERRC - Budapest on the police raid on the Fakulteta Roma neighbourhood in Sofia |
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Sofia, January 23 - On January 21 four human rights organizations called a press conference devoted to the police raid in Sofia's Roma neighbourhood Fakulteta, which took place on January 20, 2004. About 20 people were arrested without any official warrant; the furniture in several houses was broken. The police raided houses in which the inhabitants were absent. A joint Press Statement was disseminated at the press conference. See the text of the document below. Police in ActionFakulteta Roma Neighbourhood, Sofia, January 16 - 20, 2004Friday, 16 January, 2004 about 4:30 PMA police patrol from the Third Sofia Police Station with two policemen, who had a police dog with them, tried to apprehend Roma cutting trees in a small wood near the Fakulteta neighbourhood. They failed to apprehend the men because they ran away. At the same time, Assen Toshkov Zarev was playing with his 5 children (aged 6-14) on the street in front of his house, situated near the forest. The two policemen came out of the forest and approached Assen, asking him questions about the people who had run away. He answered that he hadn't seen anybody. Then the policemen released the dog and set it against the man, who was bitten twice in the leg. The policemen started beating Assen in the presence of his children, after which they drew out their guns and threatened him. The frightened children asked the policemen not to kill their father. The two officers forced Assen to lie face down on the ground and handcuffed him, after which they took him to the nearby forest. By this time a lot of neighbours (mainly women) had gathered in the street and followed the policemen into the forest. They insisted that they release the man because he was innocent. Finally, the policemen released Assen. Before the team of Romani Baht Foundation a lot of witnesses claimed that the policemen drew out their guns and threatened the people. Tuesday, January 20, 2004, around 6:00 AMPolice patrol cars came to the Fakulteta neighbourhood. Many people left their houses. The policemen came into the houses and arrested all the men that they found there. At least 20 people were arrested and taken to the Third Police Station for interrogation. The policemen broke the doors of houses whose inhabitants were not in. Upon their return, the Roma found broken furnishings - household appliances, TV and video sets, beds, windows and torn curtains. An elderly woman in one house was hit. The police ill-treated the people and insulted them in connection with their Roma origin. The people were scared and said that they lost their confidence in the police. They believe that the event was a punitive expedition of the police. They said they were determined to seek justice for the police brutality and lack of respect for the Law. The human rights organizationsThe legal team of Romani Bach Foundation received information by the victims of the police arbitrariness on January 20, 2004. The legal team recorded the testimonies of many witnesses and victims. Reports about the committed crime were sent to the Sofia District Military Prosecutor's Office, to the Ministry of Interior, to the Sofia Directorate of the Ministry of Interior and to the Sofia Third Police Station. Representatives of the leading human rights organizations - the Bulgarian Helsinki Committee and Human Rights Project - were informed. They met with the police and with the witnesses and victims to investigate the case. They protested before the police officers. The media, the international human rights organizations and several foreign embassies in Sofia were informed. Mr. Emil Yoshev from the legal team of the Romani Baht Foundation was engaged as a legal representative of the arrested people. The Bulgarian Helsinki Committee, Romani Baht Foundation and Human Rights Project express their indignation at the unlawful acts of the police as well as their concern about the fact that the cases of police outrages against Roma transform from single cases to common practice. Such cases are a violation of the Bulgarian legislation as well as of the international obligations of Bulgaria in the sphere of the human rights. We believe that they are inadmissible in a democratic society in which the police must protect the life, property and health of the citizens instead of harassing its citizens, violating their rights and damaging their property. We insist the perpetrators are apprehended by the appropriate authorities and punished according to the law. We will combine our efforts so that the perpetrators of this unlawful act are punished according to the requirements of the Penal Code. * * * On its part on January 20, 2004 Human Rights Project sent an Open Letter to the police authorities and the media in which it insisted the arrested innocent Roma to be immediately released. By the noon of January 20, 2004 all detained individuals were released. On behalf of HRP: _____________ *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. Ivan Ivanov is Chair of the Board of HRP. Dimitrina Petrova, Dimitar Georgiev, Mitio Kemalov and Rumian Russinov are members of the Board. Emil Cohen, emilcohen@mbox.cit.bg, is Executive Director. Our address: 23 Solunska St., 6th floor, 1000 Sofia, Bulgaria |