Bulgarian Helsinki Committee

Bulgaria is facing over 400 court decisions due to its refusal to provide social benefits to children of Ukrainian citizens granted temporary protection in the country.

A recent meeting between (co)chairman of the Movement for Rights and Freedoms (DPS), Delyan Peevski, and European ambassadors has sparked strong criticism from five civil organizations in Bulgaria.

Bulgarian journalist Dimitar Stoyanov finds himself embroiled in controversy after being detained by authorities for 24 hours on charges of hooliganism and threatening behavior with a weapon. The Interior Ministry confirmed the arrest, citing a citizen's alert to the police as the catalyst for Stoyanov's apprehension.

Amidst a concerning trend, Bulgaria grapples with an alarming surge in unaccompanied children seeking refuge within its borders. The Bulgarian Helsinki Committee (BHC) disclosed a staggering number—over 3,400 unaccompanied minors have sought protection in Bulgaria since the start of 2023.

Gabriela Bankova, a transgender woman who initiated a hunger strike on November 13 to challenge the court's denial of her gender change request, was apprehended by Bulgarian police due to the absence of valid identification papers.

The pro-Russian party "Vazrazhdane" should be declared unconstitutional and dissolved - this is what the Bulgarian Helsinki Committee insists in an open letter, together with its co-signatories and a total of 121 people with a civil position who supported it, "Dnevnik" reported.

"In 2022, freedom of expression in Bulgaria was subjected to new abuses in the conditions of a full-scale war of Russia against Ukraine.

A refugee family in Edirne, Turkey in March 2020. Photo: EPA-EFE/TOLGA BOZOGLU

Thirty-six of the people who were arrested are Syrian and one is from Morocco. They have been sent to refugee centres.

The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) building in Strasbourg, France. Photo: EPA-EFE.

The court said that Bulgaria must pay Stoyanova 7,000 euros in damages and 3,183.90 euros for costs and expenses for violating the European Convention on Human Rights.

Amnesty International has strongly criticised a call for Bulgaria's Prosecutor-General, Sotir Tsatsarov, to dissolve the country's biggest human rights group, the Bulgarian Helsinki Committee, BHC, describing it as "an unprecedented attempt to silence independent and critical voices by the authorities".