The Svishtov Regional Court has sentenced Anita Vachkova to two years in prison and Detelin Avramov to two years and four months in prison for animal cruelty and offences involving pornographic material, the court said on Tuesday. Both were also fined EUR 1,100 each.
The sentences are appealable before the Veliko Tarnovo District Court.
Vachkova and Avramov were detained in February 2026 and charged with offences committed between an unspecified date in 2014 and May 2024 in Svishtov and the villages of Tsarevets and Bouzhourlouk. According to the charges, Vachkova unlawfully killed vertebrate animals in 81 separate acts, while Avramov incited and assisted her by providing animals and equipment used in the abuse. The acts were committed with exceptional cruelty and caused extreme suffering to the animals, the court said.
The two were also charged with jointly creating, selling, and distributing 15 video files containing pornographic material through information and communication technologies, in six separate acts during the same period.
Ventsislav Foti, court-appointed lawyer of Avramov, said the two defendants had fully admitted their guilt and the case had proceeded under a shortened judicial procedure, resulting in their sentences being reduced by one third. Foti said the penalties were close to the statutory minimum and that he was awaiting Avramov’s decision on whether to appeal.
Vachkova’s lawyer, Petko Dimitrov, said he would wait for the court’s reasoning before commenting on the sentence. He argued that the two defendants had been recruited by others who remained in the shadows.
During the hearing, citizens gathered outside the courthouse to express support for animal protection and call for just sentences.
The case of Avramov and Vachkova bears similarities with a 2025 high-profile animal cruelty case in Pernik (Southwestern Bulgaria), where two individuals were charged with causing the death of animals for financial gain. The case triggered a wave of rallies against animal cruelty across Bulgaria and calls by the government, politicians, and professional organizations for tougher animal cruelty legislation in Bulgaria.
Two Sentenced to Prison for Animal Cruelty, Pornographic Material Offences in Svishtov 2026 THE NEWS FROM BULGARIA – NEWS AGENCY 2009-2025 2026-10-20 13:16:12
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