Animal Abusers from Svishtov, Bulgaria, Indicted
The couple accused of torturing animals and selling videos of the abuse for more than 10 years remain in custody. The animal protection organization CAAI has shared new details about the case, including that another investigative team had been trying to identify the perpetrators since 2019.
On September 23, 2026, an indictment against Anita Vachkova and Detelin Avramov was filed with the District Court in Svishtov, Bulgaria. The two were arrested on February 3 this year following an investigation and a report submitted by the animal protection organization CAAI.
According to information initially released about the case, the suspects had tortured animals for more than 10 years. Hundreds of animals are believed to have been involved, including chicks, fish, guinea pigs, pigs, goats, rabbits, cats, dogs, and others. In many of the videos, animals were subjected to extreme cruelty using specially designed torture devices. In addition to animal abuse, the recordings contain pornographic elements and explicit displays of genitalia.
The court is expected to hold a preliminary hearing within one month of the indictment being filed. Both defendants face charges related to animal cruelty and the production and distribution of pornographic material. They are currently being held in pre-trial detention, the strictest form of remand under Bulgarian law.
Neither defendant has requested a change to their detention status since their arrest. Both defendants have fully admitted their guilt and are cooperating with law enforcement authorities.
“Following the arrest of Anita and Detelin from Svishtov, CAAI was contacted by a team from another country investigating crimes against animals. They congratulated us on helping identify the perpetrators and told us they had been tracking them since 2019 but had been unable to establish their identities and file a report with the authorities.
For us at CAAI, identifying them was a significant challenge, as by that point they were no longer active and even the social media accounts they had used in connection with their activities were no longer available. Nevertheless, our experience investigating other cases of online animal abuse proved invaluable. After many hours of work, we were able to identify the perpetrators,” said Petya Altimirska, Chair of CAAI.
CAAI continues to monitor the court proceedings in Svishtov, as well as the case against another couple, Gabriela Sashova and Krasimir Georgiev from Pernik, Bulgaria, who were also identified following a report submitted by the organization. The Pernik case sparked mass protests across Bulgaria and was followed by significant amendments to the country’s Criminal Code concerning animal cruelty.
More recently, following another report by CAAI concerning raccoons being illegally kept in cruel conditions, authorities discovered a total of 25 exotic animals at a restaurant in Sofia, Bulgaria’s capital.
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Petya Altimriska (Chairperson of CAAI)
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