Tech & Rights

Bulgaria's Guardian Angel

Why is an elderly couple from a small village on Bulgaria's border with Turkey helping hundreds of refugees escape war-torn Syria?

by Bulgarian Helsinki Committee

Angela Zhekova, 88, and her husband Vangel, 98, live in the small village of Golyam Dervent, Bulgaria. The village of 50 inhabitants is on Bulgaria's border with Turkey. Thousands of refugees, mainly from war-torn Syria, have tried to cross this border, seeking safety and sanctuary. Bulgaria's response, however, has been to build a fence 30 kilometers long and three meters high, at a cost of an estimated 4,000,000 euros, to try to keep them out of Fortress Europe. Angela, on the other hand, is doing what she can to help. Here she describes why and how she and Vangel try to care for the refugees who pass their house.


This film was produced for Amnesty International by Giorgos Moutafis, Giuseppe Chiantera and Andrej Getov.

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