A 10 February 2000 RFE/RL Newsline report states that Tsvetelin Kanchev was found guilty and sentenced in February 2000 to six years in jail.

The chairman of the Bulgarian Helsinki Committee stated in 8 May 2002 correspondence that former Euroleft MP and Euroroma chairman Tsvetelin Kanchev is still serving his sentence, but this case "has nothing to do with his Roma origins or political beliefs. This is purely a criminal matter".

A report in a weekly review of Bulgarian media reports on corruption published by Coalition 2000, a group of Bulgarian NGOs aiming to combat corruption in Bulgarian society, states that charges were also laid against Tsvetelin Kanchev's alleged accomplices Nikola Dzhamyarov, Valentin Georgiev, Dancho Dakov and Tsvetan Nikolov (9-15 Oct. 1999).

No information on the treatment of witnesses in the Kanchev trial could be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate.

This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum. Please find below the list of additional sources consulted in researching this Information Request.

Bulgaria Helsinki Federation, Sofia. 8 May 2002. Correspondence from Chairman.

Coalition 2000, Sofia. 9-15 October 1999. "Bulgarian Media Corruption: Weekly Review." http://www.online.bg/coalition2000/eng/preview/Summary-W33.html [Accessed 9 May 2002]

Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL Newsline). 10 February 2000. "Bulgarian Parliamentary Deputy Jailed." http://rferl.org/newsline/2000/02/100200.asp [Accessed 6 May 2002]

IRB databases

LEXIS/NEXIS

Political Parties of the World 2002

Internet Sources including :

Amnesty International

Country Reports 2001

Country Reports 2000

Country Reports 1999

Country Reports 1998

European Country of Origin Information Network (ECOI)

Fédération internationale des ligues des droits de l'homme (FIDH)

Human Rights Watch (HRW)

International Helsinki Federation (IHF)

World News Connection (WNC)