Two more companies found guilty of discriminating Roma

The Plovdiv Regional Court and the Karlovo District Court found the companies Fin Invest and Velkar guilty of discrimination in that they did not allow Roma to use their services.

Fin Invest banned Roma students from entering the Plovdiv night club Florida. The clubs bodyguards told the boys that entry was banned for „Gypsies and Turks“. Similarly, Velkar guards did not allow a young Roma woman, working in the municipality, to the premises of the Karlovo cafe, the Military Club. She was informed by the guard that the cafe was not working, although it weas lunch time and the cafe was full of clients.

The Plovdiv Regional Court held that refusal to access to the night club, openyl motivated with the ethnic belonging of the victims, constitutes direct discrimination, and ordered the company to abstain from such acts in the future. The Roma plaintiff did not require pecuniary compensation and consequently the company was not fined to pay such.

The Karlovo District Court held that the arbitrary, unexplained refusal to allow the Roma plaintiff to the premises of the cafe, while at the same time other customers were inside, is grounded on the ethnic belonging of the plaintiff, and consequesntly constitutes discrimination. The Court also found that the discrimination is a significant violation of the legal order, which violated the personal dignity of the victim. The company was sentenced to pay 300 Euro damages. The decision has not entered into force.

For more information, please get in touch with Margarita Ilieva, attorney-at-law, 3592 846 55 25, 359 887 416 523.