Persécution des Rroms : émeutes à Yambol (Ямбол) – septembre 2010

Roma riot in Bulgarian town of Yambol

The Sofia Echo

Thu, Sep 16 2010

The mayor of the Bulgarian city of Yambol, Georgi Slavov, has issued a decree declaring a part of the city to be in « an emergency situation » following Roma unrest.

Disturbances followed the collapse of a panel within an apartment block, leaving a 10-year-old-girl in a critical condition. According to a September 16 report on private Bulgarian channel bTV, Roma decided to destroy the building in the wake of an eviction order.

Allegedly, Roma had been living in the block illegally for about 15 years and had been « systematically destroying the building, knocking it down ». The incident occurred when Roma, equipped with sledgehammers, were crashing down a wall to steal steel bars and sell them for scrap.

« The building has been ransacked systematically for 15 years, while the entire area around the building has been transformed by the Roma into the biggest waste-dump in the city of Yambol, » bTV said.

The emergency order implemented by the authorities concerns only the area near the notorious apartment building 20 in the Rayna Knyaginya district of the city, which is populated exclusively by Roma, media reports said.

The unrest stems from another order of Slavov, mandating the Roma to vacate all flats from building 20 by September 16.

Some Roma have been seen leaving the premises with their belongings, but there are repeated reports of vandalism and theft.

Meanwhile, Bulgarian news agency BTA reported that the 10-year-old girl was brought to the Yambol hospital in critical condition. She is said to be in a coma with numerous injuries.

Roma Tensions Escalate in Bulgaria’s Yambol

novinite.com

September 17, 2010, Friday

The authorities will begin installing a fence around the notorious apartment building 20 in the « Rayna Knyaginya » district of the southern city of Yambol.

The news was reported by the Mayor of the city, Georgi Slavov, who spoke in an interview for the TV channel bTV.

The fence aims at limiting to the maximum access to the dangerous building which could crumble down any moment. The demolition is scheduled for October 15, and the City Hall has already selected, through a public tender, the company that will carry it out.

The deteriorating building was populated by Roma, whо were ordered by the Mayor to vacate it by September 16.

The Roma were evicted Thursday with increased presence of police and firemen, after local authorities declared an emergency situation in the area and а 10-year-old girl was brought to the Yambol hospital Wednesday evening in critical condition. The girl was injured when some Roma, angered by the order, began tearing down the panel construction. 2 people have been arrested in connection with the incident. They have made full confessions.

Despite the eviction, scores of Roma families remain in the area, living in the fields around the building, saying they have nowhere to go and insisting to return inside. They also refuse to send their children to school, demanding social services must first come and see how they live.

The area around the building remains sealed.

Informations

Yambol (bulgare: Ямбол, translittération internationale Jambol, anciennement Dianopolis) est une ville du sud de la Bulgarie. Elle est située sur la rivière Tundža, dans la plaine de Thrace. Sa population comptait 77.906 habitants au 1 janvier 2009