“Police Brutality: Customers and Staff at Plovdiv Nightclub Subjugated to Humiliation and Strip Searches”

Strip searches, humiliation, imprisonment for hours. This is what nearly 400 customers and staff of the Plovdiv nightclub “Bushido” experienced on the eve of St. George’s Day. Dozens of people from Plovdiv, who were in the establishment to have fun, became victims of unheard of police arbitrariness.

The action started at 1:30 a.m., when five police buses stop in front of the club, from which nearly 50 uniformed men get off. Some of them are wearing masks, and some are wearing bulletproof vests. The head of the operation is the head of the “Narcotics” department in the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Todor Garjev. The cops order the DJ to stop the music and turn on the lights. They alert the staff that the party is over and begin checking the IDs of both staff and customers. Meanwhile, the entrances to Bushido are blocked and no one can enter or leave.

“They told us that anyone who wanted to leave had to go through a physical search and they wouldn’t let anyone in without one.” They then made three stops in rooms where there were no cameras and all customers had to line up to be checked. The indignation of the people was huge,” said the manager of the club, Radoslav Chilingirov.

The bullying doesn’t stop there. In the premises where there is no video surveillance, customers are forced to strip naked to be searched. Some of the customers we talked to said they were made to strip and squat multiple times. Each of those searched has written a report that no items and objects prohibited by law were found in his possession and that “there is no objection”. With the protocols in question, customers were released from the discotheque.

“I came to celebrate my birthday. I just can’t believe this is possible. I never imagined that I could be subjected to such humiliation”, told about TrafficNews a young man from Plovdiv.

“I tried to talk to people who were waiting in the search queue and take pictures of them with my phone. A masked policeman approached me and ordered me to delete the clip. I categorically refused, as I am at work and only photographed clients with their consent. Then he bumped me and I dropped my phone. Later another policeman came, they took me to one of the service rooms and there he came their supervisor who forced me to delete the video where people were outraged by the actions of the police. I asked to be told the name of the policeman who hit me so that I could file a complaint against him, but I was refused,” said Nikol Stoyanova.

The raids lasted more than 5 hours, with the last customers leaving around 6am. A nervous man even stripped down to his boxers in the middle of the establishment and wanted to be checked on the spot so he could leave. A female staff member was forcibly taken to the 6th district, where she was forced to be a hostage.

“The operation was obviously for drugs, but as far as I know, the only thing they found was some package on an empty booth, and then they called the guys who were sitting there,” said one of the hostesses of the establishment.

“In recent months, the police have been checking several times a month. However, until this moment, they had not allowed themselves such an attitude towards customers. I have been in this business for more than 20 years and I have never heard of such stocks before. This crossed all limits. I don’t think this is a routine drug operation, but a targeted attack on our business. I believe that the desired result is to drive away our customers. In the end, neither in this nor in previous operations, any dealers were detained or violations were discovered,” commented one of the owners of the club, Deyan Naydenov.

The owners of the complex have already contacted a lawyer and they are preparing a complaint that they will submit to the prosecutor’s office. “This systemic harassment must stop. We are also considering a protest and at the beginning of the working week we will submit a notification to the municipality”, Naydenov is categorical. Customers who have been raided have also decided to file complaints.

Upon our inquiry to the Directorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs – Plovdiv, the press center reported that a planned specialized operation related to narcotics was carried out this morning.

“Such actions are held periodically. 3 pre-trial proceedings have been initiated,” the police said. They confirm that the people were stripped, specifying that it was a “personal search that took place in separate rooms”.

The protocols are in accordance with Article 80 of the MIA, which states:

(1) The police authorities search a person:

1. detained under the terms of Art. 72,
2. para. 1; 2. for which there is evidence that he is carrying dangerous or prohibited items;
3. Welded in a place where a crime or violation of public order has been committed, when there is sufficient evidence that he has items related to the crime or violation;

(2) A search may be carried out only by a person who belongs to the sex of the person searched.

At this stage, it is unclear what information law enforcement had to conduct a strip search of 400 people.

TrafficNews has sent questions to the leadership of the Ministry of the Interior, the Office of the Ministry of the Interior – Plovdiv and the District Prosecutor’s Office – Plovdiv, and we await their response.

In the continuation of the thread, expect comments from aggrieved customers, the full interview with the owner and a comment from lawyers about the legality of police actions.