Send to Kindle
Plamen Galev (R) and Angel Hristov, known as the Galevi brothers, are believed to be a huge factor in Dupnitsa, compared with whom the mayor is a nobody. Photo by BGNES
A journalist from a local Bulgarian newspaper has been awarded in recognition of her courage to expose the criminal activities in the small and impoverished town of Dupnitsa and its benefactors and mafia bosses Galevi.
Lidia Pavlova, who has fifteen years of experience as a reporter and correspondent in a number of Bulgarian newspapers, currently works for the Struma newspaper based in the southern town of Blagoevgrad, located close to Dupnitsa.
She has been awarded the Prize for Courage in Journalism, established by the media group VATZ and the International Journalists Federation.
This is the first time that the prize, which comes with a EUR 10 000 check, is conferred on a Bulgarian journalist.
Pavlova will be honoured with the recognition at the Third Media Forum for Southeastern Europe, which will take place from November 4-6 in Tirana.
For her courageous articles on the activities of Plamen Galev and Angel Hristov, known as Galevi brothers, Pavlova had received threats for her life by them.
The two alleged mafia bosses are believed to hold the citizens of Dupnitsa on a leash, as their jobs and prosperity depend on the two burly former policemen, whose background and businesses are as shady as they can be.
The pair are members of an advisory council to the town's mayor. All key decisions taken by the municipality are greenlighted by them. They supervise the deputy mayors, participate in meetings with investors and join officials' press conferences. Locals say they don't even shy away from using the mayor's office for business meetings.
The Galevi trial came in the wake of a large-scale and ostentatious raid by what appeared to be the state army, which rummaged offices, auto-houses and apartments in he capital Sofia, Pernik and Dupnitsa.
The participation of Plamen Galev and Angel Hristov, charged with extortion and racketeering, in the summer elections highlighted the weakness of the country's judicial system.
We need your support so Novinite.com can keep delivering news and information about Bulgaria! Thank you!
Last week the US Department of State released its 2011 International Narcotics Control Strategy Report whose assessment on the efforts of the Bulgarian cabinet and mainly the Interior Ministry to combat the international drug trade can be subject to oppos
"This is it! The mafia bosses in Bulgaria are untouchable! Bulgaria has no courts, no judges, they are all bought with suitcases full of money.
Dupnitsa is a sleepy, impoverished and dilapidated Bulgarian town at the foot of the Rila mountain, some 60 km south of Sofia.
A district court has ruled that property and bank accounts, owned by two of Bulgaria's alleged mafia bosses, who are running for MPs, and worth nearly BGN 4,5 M, be distrained.
Bulgarian ministers have pledged to stop crooks getting into Parliament because of the instant get-out-of-jail free card that comes with the job.
Two of Bulgaria's alleged mafia bosses, who are signing up to become MPs because it gives them immunity from the law, have been said to hold the citizens of their western town of Dupnitsa on a leash.
Bulgarian authorities found themselves grappling with a peculiar case involving a 60-year-old Ukrainian woman
In a pioneering initiative to address road safety, a new campaign will see road offenders receiving letters from relatives of those who lost their lives in accidents
Bulgaria is grappling with a sharp increase in counterfeit currency, with the Bulgarian National Bank (BNB) reporting a concerning surge in fake banknotes, particularly those of 100 BGN denominations
In a chilling turn of events, the lifeless body of a man was discovered in Sofia's "Zapaden Park" yesterday, as reported by NovaTV
In a tragic turn of events, a 57-year-old man fatally assaulted a 42-year-old woman in her Cherven Bryag home before taking his own life in another residence
In Stara Zagora, Bulgarian authorities apprehended a 35-year-old man who attempted to bribe traffic police with a BGN 20 banknote
UN Happiness Report: Bulgaria's Astonishing Leap in Rankings
Bulgaria: 3 Regions With Lowest Life Expectancy - EU Report 2022
