Latest news with #BulgarianNewsAgency
Yahoo
7 hours ago
- Yahoo
They Called It a Care Home — It Was Actually a 'House of Horror' Where Elderly Residents Were Tied Up
Bulgarian authorities rescued 75 elderly people from two unlicensed care facilities where they were forcibly tied up, sedated, and isolated from the outside world The facilities had been fraudulently reclassified from a care facility to "rooms for rent" to avoid inspections, per the Bulgarian Ministry of Justice Five people were arrested and are under investigation for kidnapping and abuse. Some elderly individuals have been relocated, though many families were unable or unwilling to take them backAuthorities in Bulgaria rescued dozens of elderly people found forcibly tied up and locked in their rooms at illegal care homes, completely disconnected from the outside world. The 75 elderly people were found tied up in two facilities in Yagoda, a village in central Bulgaria. The residents were forcibly sedated or kept under the influence of narcotics and locked in their rooms — which had the handles of their windows removed — the Ministry of Justice in Bulgaria said in a statement. The Ministry of Justice said in their statement that the locations had been registered as care facilities for the elderly, but the owner recently gave up his license and re-registered the facilities as 'rooms for rent' so that social health services wouldn't conduct inspections. Georgi Georgiev, the Minster of Justice, described the rooms as 'houses of horror' and mentioned that it took the department several hours to enter the facilities after being denied entry twice. 'A total of 75 Bulgarian citizens – someone's mothers, fathers, grandparents. Held in conditions that violate all human rights,' Georgiev said in the statement. 'Some of the people are in very poor health.' A majority of the families of the elderly people involved were unable to accept them or refused them, Deputy Social Minister Ivan Krastev said in a statement. 14 have been placed in other care facilities, four are accommodated in a nearby town and eight are still in the hospital. 'Phones were confiscated and residents had no contact with the outside world or access to their ID cards,' Georgiev said to the Bulgarian News Agency. 'They were told their phones would be returned if relatives called.' Georgiev added that there was no permanent medical care for the residents, per the local outlet. Doctors only came if a resident died and unqualified staff were administering injections. Five people have been arrested in connection with the incident, according to the Ministry of Justice. The regional prosecutor's office said to CBS News that the five people are being investigated for kidnapping, violence and negligence. 'According to testimonies, one older woman had not left the establishment for four years,' the office said in a prosecutor's office said in their statement that another resident who tried to flee, but was caught, beaten and left unconscious, per the outlet. Deputy Social Minister Krastev said in a statement that in Bulgaria, over the last four years, 2,090 inspections of care facilities have been carried out and 240 licenses have been revoked so far. Read the original article on People
Yahoo
16 hours ago
- Yahoo
Dozens of people, some sedated and tied, rescued from "houses of horrors"
Dozens of people were rescued from two illegal care homes where they were subjected to brutal mistreatment, Bulgarian officials said Saturday. Justice Minister Georgy Georgiev described the facilities as "houses of horrors" and officials described how victims were beaten, bound and sedated. Some 75 people were removed from two facilities in the east of the country, which the owners had converted into so-called health centers by offering "rooms for rent" for a little more than 400 euros a month. The ministry released images of the deplorable conditions in the facilities as well as victims being transported away in ambulances. Georgiev also presented an image to reporters that appeared to show elderly residents with their legs bound together, local media reported. Nineteen people were rescued from one location, and 56 from the other, according to local media. The regional prosecutor's office in the town of Stara Zagora said five people had been arrested and an investigation had begun into "kidnapping, violence and negligence". "According to testimonies, one older woman had not left the establishment for four years," the office said in a statement. "Another resident, who tried to flee, was caught, beaten and left unconscious," the statement read. The justice ministry added that some of those rescued had "their feet tied and were sedated" and were locked in rooms "without bedding, the window handles removed and cut off from the outside world". Georgiev said inspections of nursing homes and hospices are underway to combat property fraud targeting vulnerable individuals, the Bulgarian News Agency reported. "These revelations are linked to ongoing investigations into property mafia schemes involving helpless people," he said. International organizations often criticize the poor state of health facilities in Bulgaria, the poorest country in the European Union. The lack of facilities for older people has led to the development of illegal centers. In November 2021, nine older people died in a fire at a nursing home near Varna and four others died in a similar incident in May 2022 at another facility in the same region. Kristi Noem says "we are not going to let a repeat of 2020 happen" amid L.A. crackdown Magic in the dark: The fantastical worlds of Lightwire Theater Carlos Alcaraz beats Jannik Sinner in epic comeback to win French Open
Yahoo
16 hours ago
- Yahoo
Dozens of people, some sedated and tied, rescued from "houses of horrors"
Dozens of people were rescued from two illegal care homes where they were subjected to brutal mistreatment, Bulgarian officials said Saturday. Justice Minister Georgy Georgiev described the facilities as "houses of horrors" and officials described how victims were beaten, bound and sedated. Some 75 people were removed from two facilities in the east of the country, which the owners had converted into so-called health centers by offering "rooms for rent" for a little more than 400 euros a month. The ministry released images of the deplorable conditions in the facilities as well as victims being transported away in ambulances. Georgiev also presented an image to reporters that appeared to show elderly residents with their legs bound together, local media reported. Nineteen people were rescued from one location, and 56 from the other, according to local media. The regional prosecutor's office in the town of Stara Zagora said five people had been arrested and an investigation had begun into "kidnapping, violence and negligence". "According to testimonies, one older woman had not left the establishment for four years," the office said in a statement. "Another resident, who tried to flee, was caught, beaten and left unconscious," the statement read. The justice ministry added that some of those rescued had "their feet tied and were sedated" and were locked in rooms "without bedding, the window handles removed and cut off from the outside world". Georgiev said inspections of nursing homes and hospices are underway to combat property fraud targeting vulnerable individuals, the Bulgarian News Agency reported. "These revelations are linked to ongoing investigations into property mafia schemes involving helpless people," he said. International organizations often criticize the poor state of health facilities in Bulgaria, the poorest country in the European Union. The lack of facilities for older people has led to the development of illegal centers. In November 2021, nine older people died in a fire at a nursing home near Varna and four others died in a similar incident in May 2022 at another facility in the same region. Kristi Noem says "we are not going to let a repeat of 2020 happen" amid L.A. crackdown Magic in the dark: The fantastical worlds of Lightwire Theater Carlos Alcaraz beats Jannik Sinner in epic comeback to win French Open
See - Sada Elbalad
15-03-2025
- Politics
- See - Sada Elbalad
Bulgaria warns its citizens against travel to Serbia
Basant Ahmed The Bulgarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has warned its citizens against traveling to Serbia, until the popular protests there ends. Serbian students are planning to hold large protests in the capital, Belgrade, today, and many public services may be disrupted, according to the Bulgarian News Agency (BTA). Students in Serbia have been protesting in various cities for four months, demanding accountability for those responsible for a horrific accident last November, in which a piece of concrete fell on a train station in the northern city of Novi Sad, killing 15 people.
