European Parliament calls for a swift investigation and punishment for the animals abuse in Pernik

The Intergroup for Animal Welfare in the European Parliament reacted instantly to the case in Pernik, where animals were abused and filmed for money over the years. Today, I am taking a letter from the intergroup, signed by its chairman, to the Bulgarian Prime Minister, to the Minister of Justice and to the Prosecutor General, and I will be meeting most of them today. There is a call for this cruel crime to be investigated very quickly, for fair punishments to be given and for our legislation to be adapted so that we do not allow any more cases of this kind. This is what MEP Emil Radev from the EPP/GERB group said during an interview on BNT's programme "Denyat zapochva" (The Day Begins).

"I have already on Monday brought the issue to the European Commission, because in Europe, unfortunately, during the last term, we have repeatedly insisted the European Commission, which is the only body that can make legislative proposals to bring in the necessary legislation related to animal welfare. Unfortunately, we have wasted a lot of time. However, we can see that the new Commission's priorities include this. That is why the new Commissioner, who is also responsible for health, among other things, has given the necessary signal that he will also work in this area. We in the European Parliament will insist, as I asked a question that should be answered within a month, to see what measures will be taken at European level," the MEP explained.

Radev stressed "a cross-border element" - the people who paid for these cruel videos are not only in Bulgaria, adding:

“Legislation is lagging behind in all cybercrimes because technology is advancing rapidly, and legislation usually falls behind. But here we have a good model – for example, the fight against pedophilia on social media, the fight against terrorism, and the spread of hate speech on social media. So here we have the necessary tools, and we just need to create the required legislation.”

“It is very important because it is proven that those who commit violence against animals will, sooner or later, transfer their violence onto humans.”

"Be the voice of the voiceless" – Pernik residents protest against cruelty on animals