Category Archives: Bulgaria

Bulgaria News Eastern Europe

Lynch?

Published by:

Lynch?

“This mayor /of Gabrovo, ed./ should resign immediately, because I will make the children lynch her. Not the mothers, but the children.” This is what Roma pastor Petko Asenov says in a video conference call with his followers, petel.bg reports. In the video, Petko Asenov claims that before demanding Hristova’s resignation, he spoke with the Minister of Interior Ivan Demerdzhiev, from whom he also asks the mayor of Gabrovo to submit resignation. And he threatens the minister to call for large protests by Roma in the city.”This mayor /of Gabrovo, ed./ should resign immediately, because I will make the children lynch her. Not the mothers, but the children.” This is what Roma pastor Petko Asenov says in a video conference call with his followers, petel.bg reports. In the video, Petko Asenov claims that before demanding Hristova’s resignation, he spoke with the Minister of Interior Ivan Demerdzhiev, from whom he also asks the mayor of Gabrovo to submit resignation. And he threatens the minister to call for large protests by Roma in the city.

Bad.

Bulgaria Europe News Eastern Europe

Bulgaria Anti-Roma Rhetoric

Published by:

Bulgaria Anti-Roma Rhetoric

The European Court of Human Rights sided with Roma activists and journalists who argued national courts treated racist political rhetoric too narrowly while ignoring its wider impact on an entire minority community.

Bulgaria News Eastern Europe

World Roma Congress

Published by:

World Roma Congress

Scholarships for Roma students and a policy against hate speech will be part of the proposals of the Fifteenth World Roma Congress – Sofia ’26 Scholarships for Roma students and a policy against hate speech will be part of the proposals Congress in Sofia.

Bulgaria Montenegro News Eastern Europe

Arranged Marriages

Published by:

Arranged Marriages

An article on the still existing practice of arranges marrianges among Roma in Montenegro. Apparently, 17 cases of human trafficking were recorded in this context between 2020 and 2026 by the police.

The tradition of paying for the bride only exists among Vlach Roma and is probably due to the prevalence of slavery agianst Roma in Romanian lands. The owner of the bride had to be compensated.

Bulgaria News Eastern Europe

Bulgaria: Petition

Published by:

Bulgaria: Petition

A petition is circulating in Bulgaria requesting that only Bulgarian literature be taught in primary schools. They state that foreign literature can be studied later, once “children already have a solid national foundation”. In the case of Bulgaria, this is somewhat ironical, as Turks, Armenians, Roma, Greeks, and many others are part of the country and its history…

Bulgaria Europe News Eastern Europe

XV Congress

Published by:

XV Congress

A press release announcing that Sofia will host the XV World Roma Congress, which will be held in the period 29–31 October 2026. The event is organized by the Association “United Civic Initiatives – OGI E ROMENGO” with chairman and main organizer Toma Mladenov.

According to the organisers, Delegations from over 40 countries are expected to participate, as well as representatives of international institutions such as the UN, the Council of Europe and the European Union. The forum is expected to be one of the most significant international events related to the Roma community in recent years.

Bulgaria News Eastern Europe

Arrests

Published by:

Arrests

The Roma mayor in the Garmen neighborhood “Kremikovtsi” in the Blagoevgrad region of Bulgaria was detained as part of a specialized police operation.

There are two detainees, and the home of a deputy mayor of a municipality is being searched based on reports. During searches of the home of one of those being searched, an illegal gun was found.

Bulgaria News Eastern Europe

Bulgaria, Police, and Roma

Published by:

Bulgaria, Police, and Roma

A “special operation” by the Bulgarian police in Tasrevo in a Roma neighbourhood resulted in several compl,aints being lodged against the police for viloences. The mayor of the town, Marin Kirov, reacted:

“My position as mayor and citizen of Tsarevo municipality regarding the actions this morning on our territory: It is a pity, we are receiving data about violence against people sleeping in their beds during the action this morning.

That’s right – they are neither running nor hiding, they are sleeping in their beds. They say they were gypsies, excuse me, it’s 2026 and we are in one of the few municipalities with an integrated Roma ethnic group and without significant crime related to gypsies. These are people, for God’s sake!? Nothing was found in them, nothing related to the elections.

We are obviously talking about excessive force and inadequate repression and an operation, planned and implemented in an absolutely insane way, and in Tsarevo – a modern tourist municipality, we depend on this livelihood, on a good image, on the peace between people. We also fully support the local police from tourism with cars, fuel, drug test cassettes and a huge resource for seconded police officers and repairs. And not only the local police, but also regional units of the services.

What are they achieving with these actions? Dozens of jeeps, over 50 berets and uniforms for a few sleeping people from the gypsy ethnic group? For years, they have been working on old signals against the same people who have never been caught or convicted of election crimes.

Are they trying to rewrite the election result? Be patient, they will see in two weeks, Tsarevo is developing and people appreciate it!
The Roma vote is not decisive here, and this aggression is inadequate and will have its own civil resistance in the elections.

Attempts to suggest that a small group determines the agenda and the election result are not based on facts in reality.

Take a walk in Tsarevo – here we earn trust with enormous effort and a lot of work!”

Bulgaria News Eastern Europe

Sliven and Elections

Published by:

Sliven and Elections

The Chairman of the National Assembly of the BSP Krum Zarkov met with residents of the Roma quarter “Komluka“ in Sliven. Dozens of questions, remarks from the field and the active participation of people turned the conversation into an open and tense dialogue on the real problems of the community.

Bulgaria News Eastern Europe

April 8th

Published by:

April 8th

Students from the Veliko Tarnovo region will celebrate International Roma Day – April 8. The event in the old capital will be held on April 3 /Friday/ at 2:00 p.m. at the Petko R. Slaveykov Regional Library. The main highlight of the program is the presentation of the book “The House of the White Swan” by the Roma writer, teacher and educational mediator Atanas Atanasov – Vakavliyata. Guests will have the opportunity to meet the author and get acquainted with his work, dedicated to the life, identity and values ​​of the Roma community.

Bulgaria News Eastern Europe

Integration

Published by:

Integration

The Dobrich Municipality (Bulgaria) reported on progress in the integration of Roma communities. During the meeting, the results achieved from the implementation of the ROMACT approach were presented, as well as the main challenges faced by the municipality in the integration process.

Bulgaria News Eastern Europe

Bulgaria and Crypto

Published by:

Bulgaria and Crypto

$5,000 was the initial minimum contribution for the victims to join the powerful fraudulent cryptocurrency scheme that was broken up by the “Economic Police”. The scheme targeted minorities and was run by a 48-years old Rom from Plovdiv.

Bulgaria News Eastern Europe

Bulgaria, Elections, and Roma

Published by:

Bulgaria, Elections, and Roma

Police raided a financial house (sic.) in the Roma neighbourhood of Fakulteta in Sofia, where a list of names and amounts was found besides six thousand Euros in cash. The police is suspecting election bribery and arrested several persons among which Kiril Kirilov, a know murky figure often called the Japanese.

Bulgaria News Eastern Europe News Switzerland

Switzerland and Bulgaria

Published by:

Switzerland and Bulgaria

The Ambassador of the Swiss Confederation H.E. Pierre Hagmann visited the office of the Amalipe Center and two of the institutions with which the Center works in close partnership – Sofia University “Kliment Ohridski” – the village of Kamen and the Municipality of Strazhitsa, to get acquainted with the organization’s activities. The conversations were about the Roma community and the challenges facing it, education, the contribution of the Swiss-Bulgarian Development Program, the role of NGOs and the support of the Swiss Embassy and the Ambassadorial Group on Roma Issues. The subsequent visit to the village of Kamen and the town of Strazhitsa continued and detailed these conversations.

Bulgaria News Eastern Europe

Bulgarian Project

Published by:

Bulgarian Project

In the period 2023 – 2025, the Municipality of Lukovit implemented the project “Future for Children in the Municipality of Lukovit”, funded by the Human Resources Development Program 2021 -2027. As a result of the implementation of the projects, conclusions are drawn about the growing marginalization of certain places and neighbourhoods and the deepening challenges in terms of poverty and inequalities, including the lack of access to health, social, communal and other services for Roma groups. In the villages of Belentsi and Petrevene – a large percentage of Roma families with children, at risk of poverty, not speaking Bulgarian and for this reason – difficulties in the social and educational integration of children in kindergarten and school. In the village of Bezhanovo – a large number of families with eight to 10 children, in extreme poverty and at risk of marginalization. In the town of Lukovit – a compact Roma population in the “Iztok” district – according to expert observations, over five thousand people”, the report says.

  • Общинските съветници в Луковит одобриха всички предложения от дневния ред. In: Utro Ruse. 26.03.2026. https://utroruse.com/amp/?id=1226934
Bulgaria News Eastern Europe

School Project

Published by:

School Project

Poverty and early marriages are among the main reasons why children from vulnerable groups (read minorities here, and of course especially Roma)do not attend school regularly, experts said at the opening of the project to retain students in the education system, held at the capital’s 51st Secondary School “Elisaveta Bagryana” under the slogan “Let’s bring their future back”.

Bulgaria News Eastern Europe

Ruja Ignatova

Published by:

Ruja Ignatova

A TV series is being currently made in Bulgaria about Ruja Ignatova, the so-called crypto queen who managed to swindle 4 bio USD and vanished.

The article says that according to some sources, she was born on May 30, 1980, in Ruse. According to other sources, her family, which is of Roma origin, is from the villages of Pleven.

Bulgaria News Eastern Europe

Another one of those …

Published by:

Another one of those …

The body of a newborn was found in a landfill in Sliven, Bulgaria. Unfortunately, the landfill is in a Roma neighbourhood.

The police confirmed that they are working on the case. The District Prosecutor’s Office in Sliven reported to bTV that a pre-trial investigation for intentional murder has been initiated and an investigation is underway. At the moment, the state prosecution cannot say whether there are traces of violence on the child’s body. However, according to witnesses, he had visible injuries. They say that they saw the body of the newborn being thrown out of a car.

Bulgaria News Eastern Europe

Fight

Published by:

Fight

Two Roma families Baltovi and Chorovi, around 40 people, attacked 10 people from the Machevi family in Rozino. The aggressors threw stones and trees, as well as other objects, at the Machevi homes, and beat up some of the Machevis. No one knows why they are fighting, but the scandals have been going on for years. According to our information, there are arrests and injuries. The police in Plovdiv told Novinar that there were no serious injuries and one person was provided with medical assistance.

rroma.org
en_GBEN
de_DEDE fr_FRFR en_GBEN