Plamen Goranov

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Plamen Goranov
Born (1976-10-20)20 October 1976
Died 3 March 2013(2013-03-03) (aged 36)

Plamen Goranov (Bulgarian: Пламен Горанов) (20 October 1976 – 3 March 2013) was a Bulgarian activist who took part in the Bulgarian nationwide protest at the beginning of 2013. On 20 February 2013 he set himself on fire in front of the Varna municipal building; he died from his injuries in hospital on 3 March (coincidentally Bulgarian Liberation Day).[1] Goranov protested against the organized crime group TIM and the TIM-controlled Varna mayor Kiril Yordanov.[2][3]

Goranov has been dubbed "the Bulgarian Jan Palach or Mohamed Bouazizi."[4][5] (Palach was a Czech student who set himself on fire in 1969 after the Soviets crushed the Prague Spring; Bouazizi was a Tunisian street vendor who set himself on fire in 2011 after government harassment during the Arab Spring.)

After setting himself on fire, Goranov became the subject of discussions and received active support on social networks.[4] Approximately 300 people donated blood for transfusion while he was in hospital.[6] On the day of his death, people in Sofia and Varna gathered to pay their respects to Plamen.[7]

Plamen is one of four Bulgarians who set themselves on fire during the Bulgarian nationwide protest.[8]

Death

According to the official report by the prosecution,[9] on the morning of 20 February 2013, Goranov arrived in front of the Varna municipal building a little before 7:30 carrying a backpack, a poster, and two bottles of gasoline. Recordings of nearby security cameras show him putting the two bottles down, taking out a white sheet, and laying the sheet on the ground. He then proceeded to pour the contents of one of the bottles over himself, which attracted the attention of a municipal officer who came out to investigate. Goranov informed the officer that he would set himself on fire, after which the officer went back in the building and shortly came back with a second officer. At that point Goranov lit himself on fire. The two officers went back into the building again and eventually returned with fire extinguishers,[3] but at that point Goranov had already endured burn injuries to 80 percent of his body.

According to witnesses, while Goranov was on fire, he was saying "Kiro, Kiro, today I was supposed to be in Antalya" (note Kiro being short for Kiril, reference to Kiril Yordanov, the then mayor of Varna Municipality).

At some point, an official from the municipality took away the poster brought by Goranov. After testimonials of witnesses and the fact that the poster was missing becoming public, the official handed in the poster to the local police. No charges were pressed against him. On the way to the hospital, Goranov said that he didn't want to kill himself.[10]

Goranov died on 3 March 2013. Two days later Varna Mayor Yordanov resigned.

See also

References

  1. ↑ [http://www.euronews.com/2013/03/04/bulgarian-anti-corruption-protester-dies-after-setting-himself-on-fire/, 2013/03/04, Bulgarian anti-corruption protester dies after setting himself on fire]
  2. ↑ http://www.novinite.com/view_news.php?id=148386
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Wes Enzinna (2013). "In Varna". London Review of Books 35 (15): 35. 
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 [http://www.dnevnik.bg/bulgaria/2013/03/04/2015021_sega_vseki_si_ima_svoiata_vutreshna_klada_poklon_pred/, 2013/03/03, Now everybody has an inner balefire, a tribute to the memory of Plamen Goranov in social media ("Сега всеки си има своята вътрешна клада" (поклон пред паметта на Пламен Горанов в социалните мрежи)]
  5. ↑ offnews.bg, 2013/02/24, Един нов Ян Палах. Дер Щандарт за самозапалването на Пламен Горанов
  6. ↑ vesti.bg, 04.03.2013, Почина самозапалилият се Пламен Горанов
  7. ↑ [http://www.dnevnik.bg/photos/2013/03/04/2015462_fotogaleriia_ogunche_za_plamen/, 2013/03/03, Photo Gallery – A flame for Plamen (Bulgarian: Огънче за Пламен]
  8. ↑ dnevnik.bg, 13.03.2013, Man set himself on fire in front of the president's building (Bulgarian – Мъж се самозапали пред президентството)
  9. ↑ http://www.dnevnik.bg/izbori2013/2013/03/04/2015203_varnenskata_prokuratura_kategorichno_plamen_goranov_se/ the Varna city Prosecution – Plamen Goranov had definitely put himself on fire (note – rather than an act of homicide)(in Bulgarian – Варненската прокуратура: Категорично Пламен Горанов се е самозапалил, Dnevnik, 2013/03/04,
  10. ↑ http://dariknews.bg/view_article.php?article_id=1050508 Counting the vultures (Bulgarian – Преброяване на лешоядите), dariknews, 2013/03/06
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