site.btaAmnesty International Bulgaria Presents State of the World’s Human Rights Report

Amnesty International Bulgaria presented its annual State of the World’s Human Rights: April 2025 report on Tuesday.

The event took place in downtown Sofia and brought together diplomats, civil society members, human rights activists, and journalists.

Marie Struthers, Amnesty International's Eastern Europe and Central Asia Director, was the special guest at the presentation. Struthers gave an overview of the main findings and trends from the global report for 2024.

The Bulgaria 2024 Report was presented by Nayden Rashkov, Director of Amnesty International Bulgaria. Among the issues highlighted in the report on the human rights situation in Bulgaria over the past year are:

·         Attempts to introduce the so-called Foreign Agents Bill by the pro-Russia party Vazrazhdane. The bill is similar to the already passed in Georgia, Hungary and other neighboring countries laws, and aims to prohibit foreign-funded organizations from carrying out activities in educational institutions and some ministries.

·         In August, Parliament adopted amendments to the Law on Pre-School and School Education, which prohibited the provision of information about “non-traditional sexual orientation” and “gender identity different from biological sex” in schools. Rights organizations strongly opposed the legislation, calling it a direct assault on fundamental freedoms of the LGBTI community.

·         Roma continued to face discrimination in all walks of life, there was an increase in xenophobic incidents, including physical attacks on asylum seekers and foreign nationals.

·         With regard the rights of refugees and migrants, the report says that the number of people travelling the so-called Balkans route towards Western Europe has dropped, but the pushbacks and violence have persisted on the Bulgarian border with Turkey and are a serious reason for alarm.

·         Gender-based violence and domestic violence continue to be a serious problem in the country, and according to data of the organizations, defending women’s rights, at least 18 women have lost their lives as a result of domestic violence in 2024. The voted measures, including measures to strengthen education and prevention programmes, aimed at increasing protection and providing support for the victims of domestic violence are still not effective.

·         Independent journalists and media reporting on organized crime and corruption faced strategic lawsuits in the past year again. The case of e-magazine Mediapool who were sued for the unprecedented BGN 1,000,000 in damages, and the defamation lawsuit filed by then Interior Minister Kalin Stoyanov against the Bureau for Investigative Reporting and Data (BIRD.bg) are just some of the examples. Accusations against journalists and media outlets by officials and representatives of institutions signal a worrying trend in the attempt to restrict freedom of speech.

“At a time when division is used as a tool, we, the people, must unite to counteract the negative trends that limit our rights,” Nayden Rashkov said.

He emphasized the power people possess to enable change. “Everyone has the opportunity to become an activist for Amnesty International Bulgaria. Together, we must insist on taking responsibility and building a just society,” Rashkov said.