The Serbian authorities have not allowed the chairman of the scientific institute "Western Suburbs", Assoc. Prof. Dr. Angel Dzhonev, to enter the country. He was stopped at the "Ribartsi" border crossing, detained for about an hour and sent back after he was served with a decree banning entry.
The document states as a reason "a negative assessment of the security risk". In an interview with Bulgaria ON AIR, Dzhonev said that the Serbian authorities have defined his presence as a threat to national security.
“The denial of admission to Bulgarian citizens is starting to become a trend and this is extremely worrying“, said Angel Dzhonev.The chairman of the institute traveled to Bosilegrad to celebrate the 28th anniversary of the local Cultural and Information Center. After his return, he stated that he would inform Bulgarian and European institutions about the case and expects a reaction from the Bulgarian authorities.
Second case in several months
The case with Dzhonev comes after the denial of admission to Dr. Valentin Yanev, a member of the Board of Directors of the scientific institute. On August 11, Serbian border authorities did not allow him to enter the country through the “Ribartsi“ checkpoint, the Bulgarian Telegraph Agency reported.
Yanev traveled to an international environmental meeting in Bosilegrad, dedicated to the state of the environment and the impact of mining activities on nature and the population. He was also served with a decision to refuse entry on the grounds of “negative assessment of the security risk“.
According to the institute, Yanev and ecologist Dimitar Kumanov were detained at the border for nearly an hour. Data on water pollution and the consequences of the activities in the “Karamanitsa“ mines were to be presented at the meeting. and “Grot“.
Dzhonev expects a reaction from Sofia
The chairman of the institute links the two cases to the organization's activities aimed at protecting the rights of Bulgarians in the Western Suburbs and environmental problems in the region.
“I assume that the Bulgarian authorities will respond to our signal and will seriously address the Serbian authorities“, said Dzhonev, quoted by “24 Chasa“.
So far, no additional public reasons have been announced by the Serbian authorities for Dzhonev's refusal. He stated that, in his opinion, a recurring practice is taking shape towards Bulgarian citizens related to the topics of the Bulgarian minority and the Western Suburbs.
Sources: 24chasa.bg, bgonair.bg, bta.bg