site.btaJustice Ministry Report: ECHR Ruled in 53 Cases against Bulgaria in 2020

Despite the reported partial success in implementing the rulings of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) in cases against Bulgaria, additional and concerted efforts and active cooperation between the legislature, the executive and the judiciary are still needed, concludes the eighth report on the implementation of the ECHR's decisions, the Ministry of Justice said here Wednesday.

The report contains information for 2020, but also covers some recent developments that occurred before May 31, 2021, which are relevant to the issues under consideration.

The report, signed by Yanaki Stoilov as caretaker Minister of Justice, cites data according to which as of April 2021 there were 491 pending complaints against Bulgaria. In 2019, 750 complaints were filed against Bulgaria, and in 2020 - 608.

In 2020, the ECHR ruled in 53 cases against Bulgaria, ruling on at least one violation of the Convention in 35 of them. For comparison, in 2019 there were a total of 35 cases against Bulgaria, and the ECHR issued convictions on 13 of them.

The topic of rule of law and protection of human rights and dignity will be the focus of a conference, titled "European Democracy: #BulgarianVoicesForEurope", which will take place at BTA's press club in the southwestern city Blagoevgrad at 10 am on Thursday. The conference is part of BTA's initiative "Bulgarian Voices for Europe". It will be streamed live on the event's Facebook page.