Romani Man Killed with Homemade Trap in Bulgaria

07 November 2002

According to information published by the Stara Zagora-based Starozagorski Novini daily from October 8, 2002, on October 7, 2002, Mr Boyan Mihailov, a 24-year-old Romani man and father of two, was killed by a home-made firearm trap-like device apparently placed in a vineyard owned by Mr Andrei Petrov, a former employee of the Arsenal military plants in Kazanlak. Two Roma who were accompanying Mr Mihailov told the police that they had entered the private property of Mr Andrei Petrov and shortly thereafter, Mr Mihailov was shot. They reportedly dragged him out of the vineyard and took him to hospital where he died of injuries caused by gunshot wounds. According to sources from the Kazanlak regional Police Department, in another incident, on September 29, 2002, home-made firearm weapons made by the same person caused heavy injury to Mr Stanislav H., a 43-year-old Romani man. Following the first incident, the police took six firearm trap-like devices from Mr Petrov's vineyard. The home-made traps were in the form of cartridges filled with powder and pellets. They were triggered by stepping on them. An investigation against Mr Petrov under Article 122(2) of the Bulgarian Criminal Code (involuntary manslaughter with a firearm) was underway as of October 8, 2002. Mr Petrov faces a possible prison sentence of up to five years for causing the death of a person with a firearm. He is also under investigation for the injuries caused to Stanislav H.