News

8 July 2026

Katya Hristova, Head of the Ombudsman’s Cabinet, met with representatives of Amnesty International who are currently visiting Bulgaria. During the meeting, they discussed topical issues relating to the protection of human rights, the work of the Ombudsman Institution and opportunities for future cooperation.

At the start of the meeting, Katya Hristova outlined the Institution’s main functions and powers, noting that the Bulgarian Ombudsman is one of the national human rights institutions in the European Union with the broadest mandate. She informed the guests that, in addition to its general powers, the Institution acts as the National Preventive Mechanism under the Optional Protocol to the UN Convention against Torture, the national mechanism under the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, protects children’s rights, carries out functions relating to the protection of whistleblowers, and has the power to make recommendations to state and private-law entities, to propose legislative changes, and to refer matters to the Constitutional Court and the supreme courts on issues relating to the protection of fundamental rights.

Representatives of Amnesty International presented the key findings from their annual reports on the state of human rights and emphasised the protection of the Roma community and cases of forced housing demolitions.

They set out their position on the situation in the ‘Zaharna Fabrika’ neighbourhood of the capital, expressing concerns about the living conditions of some of the affected families, as well as about compliance with international standards in the carrying out of forced evictions.

Katya Hristova emphasised that the Ombudsman Institution had responded immediately to the case in the ‘Zaharna Fabrika’ neighbourhood by sending experts to the site, carrying out an investigation and referring the matter to the relevant authorities. She recalled that the Institution had consistently monitored cases of forced evictions of citizens and had for years been calling for the principle of proportionality to be enshrined in legislation when such evictions were carried out. According to her, this proposal has repeatedly featured in the Ombudsman’s annual reports to the National Assembly, but has not yet been acted upon in legislative terms.

During the conversation, another case was also discussed, relating to the forced demolition of illegal dwellings in Stara Zagora. Representatives of Amnesty International raised the issue in connection with information received in recent days, noting that it was still subject to verification.

Katya Hristova pointed out that the Institution's findings from the inspection carried out in September 2025 differ from those presented by Amnesty International. She said that three experts had been sent to the site, including representatives from the National Preventive Mechanism and the Children’s Rights Team, who had spoken with representatives of the Roma community, social organisations and local authorities. The inspection found that the children had been enrolled in schools and nurseries, access to healthcare had been provided, and no complaints had been received from the families concerned. According to her, local organisations working with the Roma community also gave a positive assessment of the measures taken by the municipality.

She noted that information provided by Amnesty International regarding a possible incident in December 2025 had not been received by the Institution and would be investigated.

Representatives of Amnesty International also raised questions regarding the oversight mechanisms in place for reports of unlawful use of force by police officers.

In response, Katya Hristova explained that Bulgarian legislation did not provide for an independent mechanism involving the Ombudsman in disciplinary investigations against police officers. She pointed out that, as part of the National Preventive Mechanism’s activities, the Institution carried out around 60 inspections each year in places of detention, police stations, psychiatric hospitals and social care institutions; if violations are identified, it makes recommendations to the competent authorities, publishes its findings and includes them in the Mechanism’s annual report.

During the meeting, the upcoming legislative changes relating to the implementation of the European Pact on Migration and Asylum were also discussed. Katya Hristova informed the representatives of Amnesty International that the institution was awaiting the adoption of amendments to the Ombudsman Act, which would entrust it with the functions of a national monitoring mechanism under the Screening Regulation. She pointed out that the Ombudsman had repeatedly raised with the National Assembly, the Ministry of the Interior, the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Finance the need for the timely adoption of the legislative amendments and the provision of the necessary financial resources to carry out the new functions.