Vice President Iliana Yotova expressed suspicions that the cases of illegal homes and violence against the elderly do not end with the revelations in the village of Yagoda. During a visit to Kazanlak, she sharply criticized the institutions for the lack of control and described the case as a “serious diagnosis“ for society. Meanwhile, all 75 people found in the “homes of horror“ have already been placed in a safe place.
The vice president's comment comes after the shocking revelations in two illegal homes in the village of Yagoda, Stara Zagora region, where 75 elderly people were found kept in inhumane conditions.
“After the initial impressions of the case, I thought again about where the Bulgarian state is and where the Bulgarian institutions are and how this could be allowed“, said Iliyana Yotova. “We understand that this tragedy is not from yesterday. Where are the social services, where is the control?“
She defined the case as a serious diagnosis not only for the work of the institutions, but also for the entire society, raising the question of the responsibility of the people living near the homes.
“The stories we saw are reminiscent of times that we thought were long gone. I don't want to qualify them and add to the tragedy, but with all my might, since we claim that there is nothing stronger than the state, it must enter this system“, the vice president was categorical.
We recall that during a joint operation by several state institutions, elderly people were found with their feet tied, under the influence of narcotics and locked in rooms with horrific conditions – without bed linen and with window handles removed.
Justice Minister Georgi Georgiev described the facilities as “houses of horrors“. The inspection was ordered as part of a large-scale interdepartmental operation to combat the property mafia, after the management of the homes twice refused inspectors access.
The Ministry of Social Affairs announced that in less than 24 hours all 75 men and women aged 51 to 86 had been removed and placed in appropriate social services.