site.btaUPDATED Actors’ Union Condemns Violence amid Actor's Arrest, Criticizes Culture Ministry

The Union of Bulgarian Actors (UBA) put out a statement Monday that condemns all forms of violence. The statement was promoted by the arrest of an actor, Rosen Belov, among others, accused of drugging and holding captive a young man. The case has drawn attention due to the actor’s alleged ties to Culture Minister Marian Bachev via a partnership in an acting school.

In a social media post earlier on Monday, Minister Bachev denied being a partner with Belov and said the actor was just a teacher there. 

Despite that, the opposition party Vazrazhdane called for the resignation of the Minister over "the Minister's connections with persons involved in criminal acts".

UBA stops short of condemning the detained actor, citing the presumption of innocence, but says that "the actions of individuals—regardless of their professional status or proximity to high office—must not cast a shadow over Bulgaria’s entire cultural community".

The UBA expresses "long-standing mistrust" toward the Ministry of Culture, criticizing its “lack of dialogue, nontransparent decisions, and public stigmatization of experts and creative professionals.” The union also denounced political interference in cultural governance, noting the influence of the There Is Such a People parliamentary leader over the ministry’s activities.

The Union announced it will formally request updates from the Ministry of Interior on the investigation and plans to seek a review by the Prime Minister’s office into possible abuse of power and interference by There Is Such a People in the operation of the Culture Ministry. "We will demand to hear the position of the Council of Ministers about the future of the culture sector," UBA said.