Rights Activists: Rule of Law Basics under Threat in Bulgaria

The very foundations of rule of law in Bulgaria have to be defended on a daily basis, is the leading diagnosis of Bulgarian rights NGO the Bulgarian Helsinki Committee's yearly report.

According to the BHC, "the situation with human rights in Bulgaria fails or remains at an alarmingly low level in many areas, especially the independence of the judiciary, the freedom of expression, the religious freedom of Muslims, and the conditions in imprisonment centers."

To those problematic fields, the committee adds the rights of children in special institutions, overuse of force by law enforcement organs, and discrimination against minorities, including women, the disabled, and ethnic and religious communities.

The report however notes that in 2012 some progress has been made in the area of discrimination and protection against the abuse of force by the state.

According to the NGO's assessment nevertheless the problems with human rights in Bulgaria are far more overbearing and reach even basic elements.

The report describes the 2012 reform of Bulgaria's judicial system as "inefficient and superficial," thus failing to guarantee the judiciary's independence.

The document also recalls what it describes cases of intimidation of judges by parts of the executive.

Regarding the rights of minorities, the report points to the so-called 'Radical Islam' trial in Pazardzhik, which according to the BHC is completely unfounded and is premised on totalitarian curbing of religious freedom.

It further brings forward issues such as police brutality and living conditions in Bulgaria's prisons.

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