Bulgaria Sentenced by Strasbourg Court over Police Brutality

Society | March 25, 2010, Thursday // 18:00|  views

The European Human Rights Court in Strasbourg ruled Bulgaria's police subjected 2 citizens to inhuman and degrading treatment. Photo by BGNES

The European Human Rights Court (EHRC) in Strasbourg ruled in favor of 2 Bulgarian citizens in their case against the country's police.

Bulgaria was sentenced to pay EUR 19 000 to Svetlyu Shishkov and his son Slaveyko, over police brutality exerted on them in 1999. The 2 became victims of a surprise police attack while boating by the shores of a lake. Shots were fired at them and they were later beaten by the policemen. Svetlyu Shishkov suffered 2 broken ribs and a head trauma.

It later transpired that the policemen had been sent to guard an Interior Ministry training center and a forest reserve in the area, and became suspicious that Shishkovi were spies.

The Court ruled the Bulgarian authorities had displayed excessive formalism, terminating in 2004 the proceedings against the persons responsible on account of “material procedural breaches” which were in fact of little consequence for the proceedings.

EHRC concluded that the applicants had been subjected to inhuman and degrading treatment at the hands of the police.

The Court held that Bulgaria was to pay EUR 10 000 to Svetlyu Shishkov and EUR 9 000 to Slaveyko Shishkov.

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Tags: European Human Rights Court, police brutality, Shishkovi

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