Protesters Wiretapped in Pre-trial Coup Proceedings

In the summer of 2020, at the height of the protests, prosecutors from the Specialized Prosecutor’s Office requested permits to apply SSDs in connection with pre-trial proceedings for OCGs aimed at a coup, a crime under Art. 95. of the Criminal Code. The crime is serious and is punishable by over 10 years in prison, which justifies the application of SSDs if the court allows them. Contacts have been detected and the identities of a large number of activists of last summer’s anti-government protests from various organizations have been identified – “Stand Up BG”, “The System Is Killing Us”, the Organization of General Shivikov, the “Poison Trio” and others. They are defined by the special prosecutors as an OCG, which aims to seize power by force.

The BRRD has obtained a document detailing the prosecutor’s reflections on this topic. This is a prosecutor’s request and justification for the continuation of SSDs against Tihomir Valeriev Vasilev – an activist close to “Stand Up, BG” by Maya Manolova. The document describes the information collected by tapping the phone of the same person from 17.08 to 14.10.2020. Parvanov. An inspection of the BRRD was established from the public registers of the declarations of the magistrates and from the the public register of the SJC to the seconded magistrates, that these are two prosecutors who are seconded to the SP by the Regional Prosecutor’s Office – Sofia: Nikolay Yordanov Popov – son of former Vice President Margarita Popova and Ivan Valeriev Parvanov – son of the former Deputy Prosecutor General Valeri Parvanov (under Boris Velchev).

Yesterday on the air of BNT adv. Nikolay Hadzhigenov and Arman Babikian showed the home page of a document that coincides with the first page of the document received in our editorial office. They also showed transcriptions of conversations held by the Tycho site. and a list of 24 requests for SSDs approved by the Specialized Criminal Court. After the handover, the two headed to the Ministry of Interior to hand over these documents to Interior Minister Boyko Rashkov, who ordered a probe into the wiretapping of politicians and civic activists during and after the 2020 protests.

The request for continuation of the eavesdropping is registered number RB421137-001-12 from 14.10.2020. It becomes clear that it was submitted a few days before the initial request for SSDs expired, which was submitted by the Specialized Prosecutor’s Office on 17.08.2020 and approved by the Specialized Criminal Court for the period from 19.08.2020 until 19.10.2020 The request was prepared by Popov in two copies for GDBOP and DATO. The Head of GDBOP has been informed about the implementation of this Lyubomir Yanev, Deputy Chief Senior Commissioner Iliya Delchev, Head of Department “N” Commissioner Dimi Ivanov. There are also a dozen names of operatives from GDBOP at a lower level.

The Specialized Prosecutor’s Office did not respond to a question sent by email within which pre-trial proceedings this SSD was requested. Earlier, the Specialized Criminal Court denied that they had authorized such SSDs.

The BSRD contacted most of the numbers specified in the document and from conversations with the persons it was established that the described contacts, conversations and events fully correspond to the content of the document and can not be collected in one text without the use of special intelligence means. In this sense, the presence of eavesdropping is a fact and the authenticity of the SSDs applied to the protesters is confirmed.

Operational information: Provocateurs paid by the Skull

Prosecutors rely on operational information received in the General Directorate for Combatting Organized Crime (GDBOP) that provocateurs have been introduced into the civil protests, who are organized and paid by Vasil Bozhkov – The Skull. This “talking point” of the prosecution is actually public and was announced together with fragments of published SSDs last summer.

“In the General Directorate for Combatting Organized Crime – Ministry of Interior, Department “N” has received operational information about persons preparing to carry out provocative actions during the conduct of civil protests in order to create mass riots. According to the information received, these same groups are financed by individuals and companies from the circle of persons Vasil Bojkov.

According to the data received, the organizers of the protests distribute money to persons from the criminal contingent to participate in the protests and carry out provocations against employees of the Ministry of Interior. By organizing the protests, the persons aim to overthrow, subdue or weaken the power in the republic and to carry out an attempted coup for the forcible seizure of power in the center or on the ground, which constitutes a violation of Art. 321, para. 3, Mt. Al. 1 of the SEC, p. with art. 95.

For the organization of riots related to the protests, persons from the factions of football supporters are used for a fee. According to the information, the amount that would be paid to participate in the protests is BGN 100, and the money was provided by Vasil Bozhkov nicknamed “The Skull”.

Manolova + Trio + Shivikov = OCG

GDBOP worked on the OCG of the “coup plotters” “in order to identify the persons involved in the OCG, detect their criminal activities and identify victims of them. The addresses, places visited, used cars, communication means of communication, as well as the persons forming part of the organized criminal group have been established.

Tihomir Vassilev has been identified as dangerous because he has a criminal record. She’s for a minor offense. Vassilev is on trial for 300 T-shirts with the inscription “Messi”, which he sold without permission from the holder of the brand.

After listening to Tycho’s phone for two months, investigators concluded that he was a dangerous provocateur associated with the “extreme protesters” and also contacted General Shivikov, General Grigorov and Alexander Tomov, who

“organize gatherings on private premises at which they prepare subversive actions against the state.”

All this, according to the Prosecutor’s Office, requires the continuation of the application of SSDs for another two months:

“The exploitation of SSDs is necessary for the prevention and detection of crimes and the overall criminal activity of OCGs. The participants in the group are extremely conspiratorial, it is difficult to allow strangers to them. They communicate via mobile phones and personal meetings. Usually, meetings are held in a narrow circle of people, in a pre-provided conspiracy environment, which further makes it difficult to collect information through standard operational methods.”

The organization of the protests as conspiratorial and subversive activities

As the document shows, Tycho’s conversations with his “Stand Up” associates are interpreted as some kind of conspiratorial activity, although in fact they speak openly without encryption and discuss organizational issues related to the civil protest.

The content of the conversations with activists of Maya Manolova’s movement is described in detail: Voislav Todorov

, Daniela Davidkova,

Nikola Vaptsarov, his relative Teddy Vaptsarov. They all confirmed that they had spoken to him and expressed astonishment that these organizational conversations and their open protest activity were interpreted as some kind of subversion.

The talks with Joro – Georgi Yordanov, Vera Ivanova from the movement of mothers of children with disabilities and “Nasko”, who turned out to be Nastimir Ananiev, are also reported.

The content of two contacts is set out in great detail: with journalist Anelia Duleva from TV “Alfa” (the party TV of “Ataka”), for which the personal identification number and address have been established. She told Quiet the shocking news that The Regional Governor of Sofia District Ilian Todorov left PP “Ataka” and became a man of Valeri Simeonov. She also announced that on 02.09.2020. The parliamentary session will be held in the former Party House, which has many entrances and its walls are prepared for bomb attacks.

This strategic disposition received by Duleva was immediately announced by Tihomir to a woman with the first name Valya, and she, in turn, undertook to hand it over to the “Poison Trio”.

“I’ve certainly had conversations with a lot of people in the protest. I can’t remember a specific conversation. It surprises me that as a journalist I am subject to eavesdropping because I have done my job and monitored the dynamics of the work process.” – commented on the Douleva BRRD.

Another example that there is no way not to talk about OCG for the purpose of a coup d’état is the exhibition of contacts around the organization of the meeting of protesters from different organizations on 08.09.2020 at the Favorit Hotel

“The hotel is closed to visitors. But it will open the conference room especially for the event, with the organization being taken over by Gen. Shivikov and Tihomir. Tihomir Vassilev together with Shivikov, Grigorov and Tomov organize gatherings in private premises where they prepare subversive actions against the state.

After the sprinklers – water tanks

In order to demonstrate to the court that “Tycho” was radicalized, it is emphasized that “during the protest held on 02.09.2020. Tihomir Vassilev repeatedly stated in the telephone conversations that he personally hit the policemen and insulted them, thus flaunting.

Also during the large protest, at which there were clashes with the police, he was “near the fountains in front of the presidency, from where hard objects and pyrotechnic articles were thrown stopped by the police. Repeatedly before and after the protest, he said that more radical action was needed on the part of the protesters.”

The strongest prosecutor’s argument for Tihomir’s classification as “directly related to the extreme protesters” is his conversation “with a man on the evening of 07.09.2020, using the number 0884XXXXX, who tells him that he can bring the water tanks (provoke the law enforcement authorities with violent actions to become mass riots) because people are ready and then Tihomir tells him to come to him in the crowd.”

The same unknown appears elsewhere with a discussion of
“the detailed arrangement of the building of the former Party House, the underground tunnels, the security from the National Security Service and the fact that their goal is that after the MPs enter, in no case to be allowed to leave.”

With such a threat of provocations and riots, it is strange that the numerous investigators from the General Directorate for Combatting Organized Crime and the Prosecutor’s Office have not established who this man is. Moreover, as it turns out, the only fan of Vasil Bojkov corresponds to this number.

The BRRD established this by calling the phone answered by Petar Iliev. He confirmed that he was a participant in the protests and were friends with Tihomir, but quarreled over political activity. Iliev also said that he has been using this number since the winter of 2020.

“I am the man who was beaten in the van,” Iliev recalled. “Even then I found that we were being bugged and we switched to Viber, Telegram and other channels.”

Iliev is an activist of Vasil Bozhkov’s party – Bulgarian Summer and does not hide his political affiliations posted on social networks.

On the subject of water carriers, he said the idea was to bring water tanks to protect protesters from the police who attacked the protesters. This was offered to him by another person, but he refused this method, which he understood incompatible with peaceful protest.

Tihomir Vassilev: “SSDs as a bat for edification”

BRRD spoke live with Tihomir Vassilev, who wished to meet with our reporter:

– Does it surprise you that you are subject to the use of special intelligence means?

– No, I’ve always had a doubt. Especially during the summer protests. We had doubts before that, as we were part of the team of “Stand Up.bg” – the people who were close to Maya Manolova before and after the mayoral elections. And there was always a suspicion that our phones were listening and we were interesting to them in power at that time.

– The request for continued application of SSDs indicates the names of different people, are they familiar to you?

– Most of them are familiar to me, not to say almost all, most of them are people we met at the summer protests. They were present at all these protests. Most of these contacts are my personal contacts.

– Are the numbers that are listed, such as GSM numbers in this sample, present in your phone book.

– For the most part, yes, for the most part, yes! One or two numbers are not present.

Are you a threat to national security?

– No, that was the funniest part of what I read, like a report or a report with you. People who know me know that I have always been a person who defends civic causes, who deals with things and stands behind people who are harmed in one way or another by people. Or events and events that harm a large group of citizens. It is known that I have made the actions “Water for Pernik”, green causes. Together with Nestimir Ananiev (also bugged) we defend the cause of road safety. I think that such a person, who expresses a civil position and has a position different from that of the news at that time, is in no way a threat to national security. Moreover, I am in favor of Euro-Atlantic development, so I do not see what exactly the people who wrote this meant.

– Have you received funding from Vasil Bojkov and people from his circle?

– Funding from God, funding from people from his circle I have never received. Cash flows to me have not reached me not from Vasil Bojkov, from anyone.

– Have you tried to make a coup? Have you carried incendiary substances to the protests?

– This speculation at the summer briefings of the Ministry of Interior, these suggestions are absolutely insane. I all know that even the supporters that were implemented for provocation on September 2 threw firecrackers and fireworks that can be purchased from any store selling pyrotechnics. The incendiary devices they were talking about were a bottle of gasoline found in the tents of the mothers of “The System Is Killing Us” to make up in the generator that provided electricity in their tent. If these are these incendiary substances and bombs that the Ministry of Interior and the Sofia Directorate of the Interior had in mind then, health tell him!

– Why did this implementation of SSDs happen, what do you think they were aiming at?

– I think that’s fear. I cannot understand why such a mafia mafia thug structure, which ruled, and part of it continues to be in the management of the state at the moment, were afraid of an ordinary boy from Obelya. Behind me stood only “Stand Up”, as an organization that at that time was 10-12 people – activists. Their whole machine, against an ordinary man. For me, a threat to national security is an action by which most of the dams were left without water, people were left without water, the fields were left without water. To express an opinion and stand in the square is your right, which is given to you by the Constitution and the Convention on Human Rights.

– It is said that there has been an attempt to organize “water carriers”, to spray Parliament, etc.

– There were all sorts of ideas from all kinds of people and everyone talked about everything. From memory, I remember that someone somewhere had an idea to spray the Council of Ministers with a “water tank”. The protest was against Borisov. Parliament was not interesting to the protesters. It became interesting after September 2. There was an idea that was weaned because we didn’t find it smart. There have been cases when more aggressive groups have demanded direct violence, we have barely stopped them from beating the police. Things that are claimed there (in the request) for fighting with policemen, for bragging about it, there is no such thing. Either to show or not to write nonsense!

– To understand that the authority requesting the application of SSDs by the court has misled the arbitrator and has presented to him false facts and circumstances in order to obtain the permission in question.

– I can absolutely say that most of the story I read in this document, because for me this is a story, contains false information and misleads the authority from which it seeks permission to use SSDs.

Do you think these SSDs have been legally applied?

– Absolutely not, this was a way to use a bat and, in a suitable case, with something “sucked out of my fingers” to be charged and to be edified for all who are in the square.

All citations from the document are written as they are written, without corrections.

***

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