Podcast in English
Text size
Bulgarian National Radio © 2025 All Rights Reserved

Society is shocked

Protesters in Sofia and Burgas call for maximum penalties for animal abusers

A woman and a man filmed extremely cruel torture and killing of animals for fetish clients

Photo: Miglena Ivanova

A protest is taking place in Sofia to demand maximum sentences for a man and a woman who killed animals in a particularly cruel way. So far, nearly 60,000 people have signed an online petition calling for life sentences.


The killings, which were filmed and sold, were disturbingly brutal. The two were arrested on 14 March. They are responsible for the deaths of an unspecified number of rabbits, cats, guinea pigs and white mice. Gigabytes of footage showing the animal abuse were found on a seized computer and mobile phone.


The abuse was carried out by a 26-year-old woman, while a 35-year-old man filmed the acts. The videos were made for a "crash fetish", the court was told. The pair are not a couple and do not live together. They rented premises specifically for the purpose of filming the videos.


Protesters are also calling for tougher laws and more effective penalties for animal cruelty, as well as increased monitoring of online platforms that distribute such content. "Cruelty to animals isn't just a crime, it's a dangerous sign of violence in society. Let's stand together in defence of those who have no voice," said the organisers of Animals Rescue Sofia.


Protests with the same demands are planned for today in Burgas and tomorrow in Pernik.




Последвайте ни и в Google News Showcase, за да научите най-важното от деня!
Listen to the daily news from Bulgaria presented in "Bulgaria Today" podcast, available in Spotify.

More from category

The National Assembly rejects draft decisions to lift the immunity of four MPs of Vazrazhdane

The National Assembly rejected four draft decisions to lift the immunity of four MPs of Vazrazhdane at the request of Acting Prosecutor General Borislav Sarafov, reported BTA. On February 22, Slavcho Krumov, Ivaylo Chorbov, Yordan Todorov and Nikola..

published on 6/5/25 11:10 AM

The average salary increases by 11%

According to data from the Ministry of Labor and Social Policy, the average salary in Bulgaria during the first quarter of 2025 amounted to 2,443 BGN (EUR 1,249), which is an 11% increase compared to the same period in 2024 , BNR’s reporter Tsvetelina..

published on 6/5/25 10:14 AM

Rosen Zhelyazkov: Joining the Eurozone will bring long-term benefits

Joining the Eurozone, which includes 20 major European economies, will have an impact for the next 10, 20, 30 years, Bulgaria’s Premier Rosen Zhelyazkov told BNT, as quoted by BTA. According to him, the long-term benefits include a higher..

published on 6/5/25 9:10 AM