The idea of discipline is a facade in front of the absolute chaos of human rights violations, abuse of power and embezzlement. The escapes from Sofia Prison have hit the media and society like a storm and the only version of events to flood the media is the censored version given by the Ministry of Justice. The Bulgarian Prisoners’ Association (BPRA) will attempt to break the walls of disinformation that the Ministry of Justice is trying to sell you. Firstly,…
For some time now the Bulgarian prison guards have been grumbling about their wages. Of course like everyone they claim that they are underpaid and overworked. Mostly they base this claim on the lie that their job is somehow worse or more dangerous than any other job. However if you looked at the facts it is clear that guards not only shouldn’t have a pay rise, but that actually they are being paid too much at the expense of the…
As soon as the temporary government was in place BSP started reclaiming the Bulgarian state bureaucracy. BSP worked through their puppet President Radev and the sewage leaked down throughout the entire state apparatus. The Minister of Justice appointed by Radev fired the Head Director – (Gergana Georgieva) of the national prison authority (ГДИН). The Minister of Justice then appointed the BSP cadre Svilen Svetanov as the Head Director and so the old team of BSP was being assembled. Soon after…
Imprisonment over the conviction time There have been numerous calls for some information to escape the prison walls of Sofia Central and I hope I can appease these requests for information although I am not sure what people will find interesting. Daily I am continuing my university degree via correspondence that was guaranteed after a 30 day hunger strike by the Ministry of Justice in May 2013. My marks are good and steady despite the lack of internet and source…
On the Association’s blog I have up until now not written much if anything about myself in an attempt to keep the Association’s blog neutral and equal for all issues and prisoners in Bulgaria and specifically Sofia Central Prison. However, I have done this as the expense of not reporting the prisons attacks against myself for my unionism and solidarity with other prisoners, in an attempt to reform the corrupt prison administration, however on Thursday 17th of October an incident…
Illegal Immigrants On Thursday the 5/9/2013 a Syrian man convicted to a year in maximum security prison for illegal border crossing was pardoned by the President of Bulgaria. Normally this would be a time of celebration and joy; however it has infuriated all the other illegal immigrants that are left in maximum security Sofia Central Prison. On Friday the 6/9/2013 about 40 illegal immigrants held a meeting in the prison’s yard during their scheduled time allowance, at first the prisoners…
Bulgaria needs a strong government that can push through reforms… Prison Guards Shift Change From all the complaints from the prison guards, the bureaucracy has won again. The old shift time table has been reinstated and the guards are now working 24hour shifts again. This is typical of such a weak government that they crumble under the pressure from the guards despite it being a reasonable and recommended reform to reduce the amount of hours work by prison guards. One unforseen…
From the begging of May the guards in Bulgarian prisons and arrests (remand prisons) have been protesting a change to their work conditions. Previously they worked 24 hour shifts, then they had 3 days off, now they must work 12 hour shifts with 24 hours off. A 24 hour shift might sound like too much work and the reduction to a 12 hour shift would probably appear to most people as an improvement in work place conditions, however the guards…
Early April the director of Sofia Central Prison, Peter Krestev was appointed acting director of the national prison body. Soon after on the 11th April Yanko Vatashki was released from the isolation unit and returned to a general wing. The former acting vice director is now acting director of Sofia Central Prison. Returning Yanko to the general wings was a good beginning for the new acting director, but obviously not nearly enough. On the 11/3/2013 a guard assaulted a Chechen…
On the 15th of March 2013 the Sofia riot police entered Sofia Central Prison, they were reacting to an alert that the Director – Peter Krestev sent out due to an unprecedented amount of written and signed complaints against the prison’s conditions and indeed the Director himself, with many prisoners calling for him to be dismissed by parliament. After writing a list of wanted changes Yanko Vatashki was immediately sent to isolation after his cell was ransacked. Yanko’s only guilt…