Jock Palfreeman is an Australian antifascist currently imprisoned in Bulgaria. While travelling through Bulgaria in 2007, Jock witnessed a gang of nazis assaulting two Roma boys and intervened. When the gang turned on Jock, he defended himself and in the ensuing melee one of the nazis, Andrei Monov, was killed. After a sham trial, Jock was convicted and began serving a 20-year prison sentence. For the last 11 years, Jock has been a model prisoner and has led a group advocating for the civil rights of prisoners, the Bulgarian Prisoners Association.
Last week, it was announced that Jock would be granted parole. But as a result of a campaign by extreme right politicians in Bulgaria, Jock’s freedom is now in jeopardy! Sotir Tsatsarov, Bulgaria’s prosecutor general, has appealed the decision to grant parole to Jock and re-open his case.
IT’S TIME FOR US TO TAKE ACTION TO DEFEND JOCK!
1) Write to the Bulgarian ambassador in your country to demand that Sotir Tsatsarov revoke his appeal of Jock’s parole and that Bulgaria immediately release Jock. Find a list of Bulgarian embassies here.
2) Contact the Bulgarian Prosecutor’s office to demand that Tsatsarov revoke his appeal of Jock’s parole and that Bulgaria immediately release Jock. Contact information here.
3) Contact Australian foreign minister Marise Payne and demand that Australia take the strongest action possible to convince the Bulgarian government to revise the appeal of Jock’s parole and release Jock to Australia immediately. Contact information here.
4) Contact Australian prime minister Scott Morrison and demand that Australia take the strongest action possible to convince the Bulgarian government to revise the appeal of Jock’s parole and release Jock to Australia immediately. Contact information here.
5) Share this information widely – an immediate, large, and vocal response from Jock’s supporters around the world may be the difference between Jock’s freedom and at nine more years in a Bulgarian prison!
