Greek Court Awards EUR 250 00 in Damages to Bulgarian Acid Victim

After years of legal battles, a Bulgarian woman who became the victim of an acid attack in Athens, has triumphed in court.

A Greek court awarded Kostadinka Kuneva, a Bulgarian woman and an ?migr? in Greece, EUR 250 000 in damages to be paid by her employer at the time of the attack in December 2008.

The court ruled that the company, which manages Athens subway cleaners, is guilty of failing to protect its employee and ignoring her warnings and pleas for help.

Kuneva had gone to Greece to save the life of her 4-year-old son, who needed specialized heart surgery and care. The move took her away from her husband, who remained in Bulgaria – and forced her and her mother, who joined her, to work hard to earn enough money.

In the beginning she worked at a supermarket warehouse, but the management fired her in order to avoid paying for her insurance. She then joined the corps of Athens subway cleaners. But

Kuneva was no ordinary cleaner. She joined the union and started to fight for better conditions and pay for her co-workers. Strangers called her with threats, but she went courageously on.

On the evening of 23 December 2008 two young men approached her and threw acid in her face.

She managed to cry out and even run after her attackers. Yet the pain overwhelmed her. Kuneva lost an eye and had to undergo a dramatic and complicated operation to save her life.

Soon she became a symbol of protest against exploitation and greed.

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