Evangelicals submit a report to the UN Human Rights Council, denouncing “cases of abuse of religious freedom, political rights and racism” in Bulgaria.
Sofia, Bulgaria. / Photo: [link]Stefan Popov[/link], Unsplash CC0.
The World Evangelical Alliance (WEA), the European Evangelical Alliance (EEA), and the United Evangelical Churches (UEC), which gathers 13 registered denominations from the Evangelical-Protestant community and 14 non-governmental organizations in Bulgaria, submitted a joint report to the Human Rights Council ahead of the 50th session of the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) of Bulgaria, scheduled for November 2025.
The joint report “examines why Bulgaria must strengthen freedom of religion” and protect minorities from Roma Evangelical communities “from unfair treatment concerning their fundamental rights”.
It also “explores the political landscape in the country and how it negatively impacts these fundamental rights and freedoms”.
Furthermore, they include “complaints regarding the abuse of legal powers by the Prosecutor’s Office of the Republic of Bulgaria”.
According to the report, “political stability in Bulgaria has significantly deteriorated”.
They explain that over the past three years, the country has undergone seven rounds of parliamentary elections, and, although there is a government since October 2024, “it remains fragile, with numerous reports and evidence of vote-buying and election manipulation”.
“Such a situation creates a conducive environment for the disregard of fundamental civil rights, including the rights of religious groups and minorities”, stresses the report.
Although article 13 of the Bulgarian Constitution states that “religious communities and institutions, as well as religious beliefs, may not be used for political purposes”, Bulgarian evangelicals denounce that vote-buying is a widespread practice, “driven by social and economic inequalities”.
Roma communities are the most affected, because their living conditions “are extremely poor, creating dependence on political figures. Unfortunately, in these areas, there is a frequent tendency for people to sell their votes in exchange for money or social benefits”.
The report presents 3 cases of “violations of freedom of religion, political rights and racism. All of them “involve Roma Evangelical churches, which have been singled out”.
Meanwhile, “majority Orthodox churches and nonRoma Evangelical churches have not faced inspections and their pastors have not faced criminal charges”.
The joint report calls on the Bulagarian government to “strictly adhere to its international obligations under the treaties and conventions it has ratified”, and “to ensure their effective implementation through specific legislative and practical measures”.
Moreover, they urge authorities to carry out “independent investigations into reported violations, legislative reforms to prevent corruption and electoral manipulation, and effective mechanisms to protect religious communities from political pressure and discrimination”.
You can read the full report here
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