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Anastasia Balezdrova

"The investigation of the case continues. Now we cannot provide information about its development," stated the press office of the police station in Attica for GRRreporter. At the same time, scenarios of who and why the chairman of the organization Bulgarian Community, Rosen Hristov, was killed are being discussed in the immigrant community in Greece.

"Yesterday, I came out to get some information about the case. The office of the organization was closed. In one of the Bulgarian establishments, a man who I did not know asked me if I know anything more. I told him what we knew until yesterday. Then he told me that about two days before the death of Rosen, who had been killed on Thursday evening, he had seen the deputy chairman of the organization Emil with a swollen and bruised eye. Emil told him that he had had a fight with Rosen. This surprised me very much because Rosen was not that kind of person. He did not react in an aggressive manner to either insults or threats. The man said that Emil worked in the company of Rosen’s son-in-law. This is about his sister’s husband, who is a Greek and has a transport company. So, he owed some money to Emil. They were in Rosen’s sister 's house and quarrelled on this occasion. Something happened, I do not know exactly how, but Rosen was challenged, he got up and punched Emil in the eye. Then, they fought. I learned this yesterday from this person, who had spoken with Emil personally. I think police should know about the case, about what had happened at the home of his sister. If she has not mentioned it, maybe there is some reason for that," Dilyana Bairaktarova - the publisher of Bulgarian Voice newspaper - said to GRR reporter.
 
She is the creator of "Compass" - immigration news agency "on Facebook. Bulgarian media quoted the centre as the author of a text containing charges against the killed Rosen Hristov of "fraud, theft, rape, beating Bulgarian women and trafficking of women." Dilyana Bairaktarova firmly refused to have any connection with the article posted on the webpage of the social media. "Not only did I not write it, but I have not spoken about these things," was her emphatic reply. She added that the page was created about a year ago "on various activities carried out in order to provide information and help the Bulgarians in Greece."

Dilyana Bairaktarova did not know anything about the apartment, where the body of Rosen Hristov was found. "He did not live there. Most of the time, he came and slept in the office of the organization and often slept in the truck with which he worked. I drove him by my car to the truck to sleep there. There was a lodging, in which Bulgarians usually slept. He accommodated them there because they had no shelter. Rosen was trying to help these people to find jobs and settle. I knew it was an old house, but I do not know the address. He provided food and shelter even in the office, where he had placed beds in the semi-basement of the office.

So, I think the woman Rosen met that night to accompany her in her attempts to find a job may not be the woman with whom he lived and met in this lodging. I think this would not necessarily be the wanted woman with whom Rosen met as Emil claims. Perhaps Rosen met Emil in the office of the organization on Sokratous Street. Then he went out with Stefka to take her for a meeting and then he went to Haidari. I know that very well, because the door of the building, where the office is, is closed every night at 10.00 pm and when Rosen was late, he could not go back there. That is why he slept in the truck or apparently, in this lodging. Anyway, the last person who saw him and talked to him was Emil."

Dilyana describes Rosen as an "enthusiast" who wanted to do many, good things. And he felt sorry that he was being constantly reproached. The last time Rosen and I worked together was two years ago. We organized the concert of Toni Dimitrova. He helped me a lot and I am very grateful. He was a helpful person and helped people a lot. I would say he was a broad-minded and trusting person. Even when we were working on the organization of the concert, I warned him to be careful and not to be so trusting, because while he was at work, the office of the organization was open all day long. All kinds of people came and did what they wanted.

Like every other person engaged in public activity, he also had his weaknesses and sometimes was naive like a child. But at the same time, he was a stubborn person and has gained the name of the organization - Bulgarian Community. Other organizations were also established here. Aside from ours and his, the others were born and died. Actually, we are two active organizations here. Even assuming that it was just cultural activity, we did something for the Bulgarians here. We have had disputes in our work, and about publications, we posted. We published opinions of his opponents and they were mostly the reasons for our disputes but he was not angry and waved it away.

Rosen was not hot-tempered. To the contrary, he could be called a diplomatic person. He was the subject of much criticism especially in the early years of his activity. The organization was founded a few years before his arrival to Greece. When Rosen was elected chairman, two of the founders remained on the board, and then tried to remove him, saying that he was not appropriate for the position of chairman. But Rosen managed to overcome all these things.

They say that Rosen created the first Bulgarian school, but this is not correct. Evgenia Markova, who later went to London, created the first school before 2000. That was why the school failed to survive even though it was pretty well organized. They had the support of the embassy, they had rented the building on 3, September Street and the conditions for children were very good. About a year after her departure for England, Rosen created the so-called first school. It was a Sunday school. It did not have the same conditions and the children were not many, but there was great will and the work was voluntary. They did not take any money from the parents, they only paid a minimal membership fee of 5 Euros. The organizers even had difficulties collecting it. However, Rosen was working and he even gave part of his salary for the needs of the school or the office. The important thing is that Rosen succeeded in his goal. He even tried to establish subsidiaries of the organization elsewhere. In an attempt to expand the network, he had visited Crete, Rhodes, Thessaloniki and other places. Then, he gave up because it was very difficult and a lot of resources were necessary. At least initially, he was very determined to unite all Bulgarians who live and work in Greece. This, of course is very difficult. I know this from my own experience because I created the first "Greek-Bulgarian Friendship Society" in 1999. I have also tried to do this but I quickly realized that it is impossible.

There was a period when a war raged against Rosen. I think at one point, he tried to raise funds for the organization. This was not easy then, because Bulgaria was not a member of the European Union and most of the people were illegal. Rosen was trying to raise funds by organizing concerts and tours. In these cases, it is perfectly normal for part of the proceeds to remain for the organization. Then, they began accusing him of profit making, that he was a scoundrel and sponger. Nobody thought about the rent of the office, which is 200 Euros per month, the bills and other expenses. In the end, the person engaged with the organization should receive some payment for it. I must emphasize that Rosen has always worked and never relied on money from the organization. If so, he would have sat behind the desk, dealing with frauds to get rich on the back of the Bulgarians in Greece. Rosen was working continuously and for years in the particular water treatment company. When he was on leave or during slacker periods, he worked in the company of his son-in-law. He always had a job. However, there were many denunciations against him in the embassy, accusing him of taking money for finding jobs for the people.
 
Reproaches that he was involved in the trafficking of women soon arose, when his name became known in his capacity as chairman of the organization. This happened after the conflicts I have already told you about. When Rosen was elected chairman, he took the job on himself and some of the women who had participated in the previous management of the organization felt isolated. They decided that Rosen has chosen to dine out on it and began to attack him in different ways.  Then, some people, who knew him before, came out and said that Rosen came to Greece with some girls from Bulgaria. He arrived as head of a ballet, making shows in Greek restaurants. The attackers claimed that he was taking the girls to be prostitutes in bars. Personally, I cannot know for sure whether this is true or not. Rosen has never denied, in fact he even told me, that he came with shows here. But a variety show is one thing and introducing a woman into prostitution is quite different.

Is Rosen a man who could have enemies? "Yes, he had surely. Everything was connected with the struggle for power. Two years ago, he was "fighting" again with the then deputy chairman of the organization. He argued that Rosen was a good-for-nothing and that he should become chairman himself. He separated some people who were around him and began holding meetings to remove Rosen. But Rosen resisted and remained chairman. Then, they founded another organization and another school, over which there were some quarrels again."

According to Facebook posts, a subscription list was launched for the closure of the organization because the initiators believe that it does not perform its functions. At the same time, it has become clear that Rosen Hristov's funeral will take place in the cemetery in the district of Nikea at 5.00 pm on Friday, December 2. Rosen's family is expected to arrive in Athens tonight.

The memorial service will be in the Bulgarian church in the Athens suburb of Agii Anargyroi at 10.30 am on Sunday, December 4. Late last night, Rosen’s friends put flowers and lit candles at the sealed entrance of the office of the organization.