Media freedom and freedom of association further deteriorated as authorities targeted journalists and critics and cracked down on anti-government protests. Authorities placed some Roma communities under mandatory COVID-19 quarantines and severely restricted their movement; officials engaged in...

This document makes recommendations to 10 of the states to be reviewed during the 36th Session of the Universal Periodic Review, 2-13 November 2020: Belarus, Bulgaria, Croatia, Honduras, Jamaica, Libya, Malawi, Maldives, Mongolia and the United States of America.

This document contains Amnesty International’s suggested recommendations to Bulgaria, that is coming up for review in the 36th session of the UPR Working Group, on 2- 13 November 2020, aimed at addressing human rights challenges and improving respect for human rights.

On 11 March, the World Health Organisation declared the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak a global pandemic and called on states to take urgent measures to tackle it. This report covers 12 countries and exposes how the enforcement of the ‘lockdown measures’ adopted by many European states have...

Amnesty International sent a letter to the Council of Europe raising concerns about the treatment of Roma communities in Bulgaria and Slovakia during the COVID-19 pandemic. Reports from Bulgaria and Slovakia indicate that respective governments have imposed measures, including mandatory...

Amnesty International sent a letter to the European Commission raising concerns about the treatment of Roma communities in Bulgaria and Slovakia during the COVID-19 pandemic. Reports from Bulgaria and Slovakia indicate that respective governments have imposed measures, including mandatory...

Bulgaria and Slovakia have put a number of Roma settlements under compulsory quarantine, arguing that such measures are necessary for the protection of public health and safety. Amnesty International is seriously concerned about the implementation and enforcement of the quarantine measures. Any...

On 10 June, the 10th Sofia Pride march is taking place amid concerns that a counter-demonstration, organized at the same location and around the same time, could mar the event with violence. Amnesty International is calling on Bulgarian authorities to publicly support the Sofia Pride, and make all...

Hundreds of people were killed and wounded in a spate of violent attacks in European Union (EU) states between January 2015 and December 2016. They were shot by armed men, blown up in suicide bomb attacks and deliberately run over as they walked in the street. These callous crimes did not just...

Hundreds of people were killed and wounded in violent attacks in the European Union in 2015 and 2016. The need to protect people from such wanton violence is obvious and urgent. This report gives a bird’s eye view of the national security landscape and shows just how widespread and deep the...

A proposed counter-terrorism bill in Bulgaria would threaten human rights and undermine the rule of law, said Amnesty International today. The bill, in line with a regional trend, consolidates excessive power in the hands of the Bulgarian executive and security services; proposes measures that...

On 18 April, Mitko, a 17-years-old Romani boy from Ovchepoltsi village, was brutally beaten up by a 24-year-old Bulgarian man. The perpetrator physically assaulted Mitko after he had told him “We are equal” despite their different ethnicities. The attack and the racially abusive language used were...

Amnesty International is calling on the Bulgarian government to immediately and thoroughly investigate the allegations of beatings, shootings and extortions at the hands of the police reported by refugees and migrants.