Bulgarian Right Wing Showcases Police Brutality Victim

Alleged police brutality victim, Radoslav Bozhinov (l) and UDF MP, Vanyo Sharkov, during the press conference. Photo by BGNES

The Bulgarian right wing party, Union of Democratic Forces, UDF, presented Tuesday, in their headquarters in Sofia, a "witness" of police brutality in the country.

The move comes only a day after debate in the Parliament on the third opposition no-confidence vote against the cabinet of the ruling Citizens for European Development of Bulgaria, GERB, party on the grounds of failure in the internal security sector, the indefinite postponement of the country's accession to the Schengen Area, the use of police-state methods and the violation of basic human rights.

In an hour-long speech during the debate, Interior Minister, Tsvetan Tsvetanov, vehemently denied that there is police brutality in Bulgaria.

The right wing brought to light Radoslav Bozhinov, 25, from the Black Sea city of Burgas, currently residing in Sofia, who told how he was severely beaten by policemen in April.

On the night of April 13, the young man, coming from a concert, had tried to catch a cab in downtown Sofia, when a red car stopped and two individuals in plain clothes told him they were law enforcement officers. One waived a piece of paper as identification, which Radoslav could not see it in the dark.

When asked to provide his ID card, he wanted to know for what reason, upon which the men became furious and handcuffed him.

"I thought I have been kidnapped. Nothing showed these people were policemen. I started calling a passersby for help. At this time three patrol cars arrived. I was pushed to the ground in a pond and beaten severely for 20 minutes," Radoslav said, presenting pictures, made after the thrashing, as evidence.

After that he had been taken to the 1st police precinct, but due to the large loss of blood and a broken nose he had been sent to the Interior Ministry hospital.

The young man had been sentenced for impeding a police operation and hitting a police officer, something he says would have been impossible since he had been in handcuffs the entire time.

A blood sample had been taken from him in the night of the arrest, which had not been presented in Court because it did not show alcohol or drug content, according to Radoslav.

UDF Member of the Parliament, Vanyo Sharkov, vows the right wing will send a parliamentary inquiry to Tsvetanov about the case and will insist on having a response and sanctions for the police offices involved in it.

Sharkov is adamant such incidents have no place in a democratic country, adding old-time police mentality obviously still rains in Bulgaria.

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