Bulgaria Slammed by Council of Europe over Minority, Children's Rights

Council of Europe Human Rights Commissioner Thomas Hammarberg. Photo by EPA/BGNES

Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, Thomas Hammarberg, has criticized Bulgaria for failing to do enough to uphold minority and children’s rights.

“More efforts are needed to better protect minorities and children and to ensure that their needs are embedded in the decision making process,” said Hammarberg, who published Tuesday a report on his visit to Bulgaria carried out in November 2009.

“Protection of minorities against discrimination, racism and intolerance should be enhanced. Adequate measures should be taken to prevent and punish cases of police misconduct,“ the CE Commissioner says while also urging the Bulgarian authorities to provide reparation and find speedily a solution for pending pension claims to victims of the ‘Revival Process’, the assimilation campaign undertaken by the Bulgarian communist regime against the ethnic Turkish minority.

The CE Commissioner goes as far as suggesting a Constitutional amendment “in order to better safeguard minorities’ freedom of association and assembly and to fully align practice with the Council of Europe standards.”

“Evicted Roma should be offered decent alternative solutions. More generally, access to adequate housing, education and social rights remain problematic and all too often they are victims of racially motivated discrimination and violence. The authorities should urgently reverse this situation,” Hammarberg says with respect to the Roma community.

The Council of Europe Commissioner recommends that Bulgaria undertake a deinstitutionalization program with respect to children with intellectual disabilities.

Full Text of CE Human Rights Commissioner's Report is available HERE

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