HELP AREVIK: INNOCENT, PREGNANT, IMPRISONED

The Women’s International Perspective
April 20 2010

I know Arevik’s story from other Bulgarian bloggers. Briefly, Arevik
Shmavonyan is a young Armenian woman. 5 years ago, she met on Skype
David Arutyunyan, a young man of Armenian origin living in the city of
Montana, Bulgaria. They fell in love and about 3 months ago Arevik came
to Bulgaria to unite with her beloved. They could not marry because
Bulgarian bureaucracy refused to clear their paperwork, but started
living together. After Arevik’s 1-month visa expired, she obtained a
permission to remain for additional 14 days. However, despite this
permission she was sent to the infamous detention facility in the
Sofia district of Busmanci, where refugees and candidate immigrants
are kept indefinitely without clear reasons (I have blogged about
this facility in my earlier post Prison by any other name).

In Busmanci, Arevik found out that she was pregnant. Her pregnancy is
problematic, causing cyclic vomiting and severe eating and sleeping
problems. Arevik has been in Busmanci already for one month, and for
this time has been taken twice to hospital unconscious. Nevertheless,
she is still kept there, in a room with about 10 other women and
without adequate care. Although Arevik has done nothing wrong, her
release is not in sight, and her life is in peril as well as the life
of her unborn child.

I appeal to you to try to help Arevik. Svetla Encheva in her April
18 post gives a beautiful model letter citing appropriate quotes
from Bulgarian and European legislature, as well as the addresses
of the Montana Police Department whose orders have led to Arevik’s
imprisonment. I shall not translate the letter – knowing the English
proficiency of our average law enforcer, I think a short note comprised
of simple words would do a better job. In fact, I think that the
police will be more impressed by the mere obtaining of messages from
abroad written in English than by their text.

Here are two e-mail addresses of the Montana Police Department:
rdvrmon@net-surf.net, police@net-surf.net. You can also fill
this form. At the top line, you must select "MBP – обÐ"а&# xD1;~AÑ~B
Ð~он&#x D1;~Bана" (Montana Police Department). The lines below are,
respectively, for your first name, family name, e-mail, postal
address, subject of your message and then comes the field for the
text of your message. You are also advised to send a paper letter at
the following address:

Comissar Valeri Dimitrov Police Department – Montana 2 Aleksander
Stamboliiski Blvd BG-3400 Montana Bulgaria

I also advise you to turn to the Ministry of Interior in the capital
Sofia. Its contact form is here. The lines are (from top) for your
first name, family name, address, telephone, e-mail and below is the
field for the text of the message. The postal address is as follows:

Minister Tsvetan Tsvetanov Ministry of Interior 29, 6th of September
Street BG-1000 Sofia Bulgaria