Jock Palfreeman’s sentence upheld after an appeal
by Break the Chains on Thursday, February 24, 2011 at 3:19pm
Jock finally received court verdict on his appeal. In blatant disregard for all
the facts presented to them during the process Bulgarian authorities upheld
Jock’s ridiculous sentence, complete ignoring all evidence in his defense.
There are no words to describe our contempt and disgust we feel towards all
those people responsible for his imprisonment. Jock can appeal the decision
within 14 days and last appeal will take place within next few months. We have
to put more pressure on Bulgarian authorities if we don’t want them to get away
with what they are doing at the moment.
Below is Jock’s comment on the sentencing:
To say I’m dissappointed would be an understatement. But I am not dissappointed
in the Monov family’s demands for unjustified punishment. I am dissappointed in
the judges and legal structure that seems to have the moral backbones of
jellyfish. When I saw the 15 men attack the two homeless men, I was presented
with a choice. Stand back and let the injustice continue or intervene in an
attempt to save human life. The Sofia city court and the Sofia court of appeal
were all presented with a much easier choice than that. Their choice was not
one that could result in their own deaths as mine was. Yet still they chose to
take the easy way. They chose to bow to the political pressure from the
Bulgarian Socialist Party and it’s beaurocrats which float around the Ministry
of Interior and Ministry of Justice like bad smell. Although this latest
decision keeps me with a 20 year prison sentence, it is useful as evidence to
show the depth and width of corruption in the Bulgarian courts and justice
system. As disheartening as this blatantly corrupt decision is, we all must
take encouragement from the 10 neutral witnesses who did have the moral
backbone to come forward and tell the truth. Also from the 5 police who too
eventually told the truth despite overwhelming pressures from their superiors.
To all those who fight against racism, nationalism, corruption and injustice- I
tell you not to loose focus or direction. Do not loose hope. Those who wish to
hide the shame that the 15 skinheads brought on Bulgaria have only been
successful in increasing it and legalizing it. Ironically Andrei Monov was not
ashamed of his nationalism and I doubt he would have lied about actions he and
his family are clearly proud of. “Bulgaria for Bulgarians” was what Dr Monov
said he and his son believed in. “Defending the underdog” is what I believe in,
be it Bulgaria or Bangladesh. The supreme court of appeal will not remedy the
injustice. The head judge of the supreme court of appeal was even present at
Andrei Monovs funeral. My prison sentence although outrageous, will be served
easier now that the evidence is overwhelmingly in concurrence with my
statements and that I know I was correct in opposing racism in it’s most
disgusting form, violence. My gratitude to my family, friends and comrades who
have not supported me as an individual but supported me based on the evidence
in my case and the reason for my involvement with the 15 skinheads.
Jock Palfreeman
4strugglemag 
Jock, I hope you’re writing a book. I think you’ve been treated with shameless injustice especially by Dr. Monov who has basically rigged the trial. He almost seems unhinged in some of his behaviour. The trial in most respects was a farce with the police changing their stories, crucial evidence such as the CCTV footage from in front of the building where it all happened being denied to the court and not introduced into evidence and the ‘disappearing’ of the two Roma and the claim that they never existed which is, of course, why they couldn’t allow the CCTV footage to be introduced into evidence. It would have proved your story and shown the Roma being beaten. What exactly you’re expected to do when you’re being pursued, beaten and having concrete blocks thrown at your head by 15 men but defend yourself I’m not quite sure. Anyone in your situation would have done anything they could to survive, which is all you did.
It seems to me that Monov is mainly concerned that people not know that his son was running around the streets with a gang of drunken racists looking for Gypsies to beat up – which puts Dr. Monov’s whole status as a famous psychologist in a very poor light. The truth doesn’t seem to mean anything to Monov Senior at all and the fact that his son was a law student is simply chilling since Monov Junior seemed to demonstrate a complete disregard for the law in his personal behaviour, as does his father. In a civilized society they would have declared a mistrial and shown Monov, the door given the impossibility of him being impartial or objective about anything under the circumstances. I can’t believe how corrupt and primitive the law is in Bulgaria.