The Sofia Human Rights Forum
Bulgaria
The Sofia Human Rights Forum aims to bring together Bulgaria's most committed human rights defenders in one place to share their personal stories and dreams for a more meaningful world. This year's fourth edition brought together over 140 participants and became a symbol of united energy, meaningful conversation about reality, but also hope that as long as there are people who want a democratic life, there is a way to calculate the formula for it.
During the forum, political scientists, psychologists, teachers, environmentalists and journalists talked about specific problematic cases from their professional fields and how injustice affects the daily lives of everyone of us. The speakers also revealed possible ways to achieve lasting solutions.
Denitsa Lyubenova, lawyer and human rights defender
The forum was opened by Denitsa Lyubenova, chair of the LGBTIQ+ organization Deystvie, and Martin Kothé, regional director of FNF for East and Southeast Europe. Mariana Katsarova, UN Special Rapporteur on human rights in the Russian Federation, delivered opening remarks.
In the first panel, lawyer Alexander Kashamov spoke about how influential individuals and institutions use SLAPP (Strategic Litigation Against Public Participation) lawsuits in Bulgaria to intimidate and financially exhaust journalists, activists, and human rights defenders. Lora Georgieva-Mateeva and Sofia Zheleva from the Anti-Corruption Fund spoke about the role of society in the fight against abuse of power. The panel concluded with Judge Vladislava Tsarigradska, known as the judge who stood up to the mafia in Bulgaria, who gave a lecture on "The independent judge is a guarantor of the protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms."
Martin Kothé, Regional Director of the FNF for East and Southeast Asia, welcomes the guests of the forum.
In the subsequent panel, Toma Belev presented the topic "Right to Nature," emphasizing the importance of environmental protection, after which Trayan Trayanov from the "Together in Class" Foundation spoke about equal access to quality education and the role of schools in breaking the cycle of poverty. The panel concluded with Diana Kitova, psychologist and psychotherapist, who, in her presentation "How Can a Phone Call Save a Life?", examined the problem of human trafficking and the importance of active civic response through her hotline.
The forum also covered other current issues related to human rights in Bulgaria.
Trayan Trayanov from the “Together in Class Foundation” spoke about how schools can help break the cycle of poverty.
Toma Belev, co-chair of the “Green Movement” in Bulgaria
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