Freedom of peaceful assembly
Removal of memorial to Red Army soldiers sparks demonstrations in Sofia
In March 2023, the Sofia City Council decided to remove the Soviet Army Monument from the centre of the Bulgarian capital. They announced that it would be placed in the Museum of Socialist Art in Sofia or in “another suitable state-owned location outside the city centre,” Radio Free Europe reported. The monument was erected in 1954 and bears a controversial dedication: “To the Liberators of the Soviet Army – by the grateful people of Bulgaria.” The plaque with this dedication has been vandalised several times since the beginning of the Russian war against Ukraine, leading to the decision to move the monument out of the city centre. The decision was adopted with 41 votes in favour, 13 against and one abstention.
However, the city council's decision triggered demonstrations showing that not everyone agrees with the relocation of the monument, even though similar actions have taken place in several European Union countries. On 9th March 2023, demonstrators gathered around the monument to protest against the city council's decision. Many of them carried the flags of the Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP), the successor party of the communist regime, as well as Bulgarian and Russian flags. A group of demonstrators also gathered in front of the council building, with one demonstrator removing the Ukrainian flag from the council building balcony.
Freedom of expression
Journalists sued for reporting on a statement by a Bulgarian minister
The Association of European Journalists - Bulgaria (AEJ-Bulgaria) has issued a statement on what they describe as a “shameful SLAPP [strategic lawsuit against public participation] case” against a media company in Bulgaria.
In the statement released on 9th March, AEJ-Bulgaria calls on the Bulgarian insurance company Lev Ins to immediately withdraw its lawsuit against the news website Mediapool. The federation described the lawsuit as “absurd”, both in terms of scope and grounds, as the company is being sued for defamation simply for publishing a statement by the Bulgarian finance minister that was quoted verbatim from an official report. The company is demanding an “unprecedented” sum of 1 million Bulgarian leva (about EUR 511,340) in damages. This suggests that the lawsuit is aimed at suppressing critical reporting rather than compensating for the actual financial damage suffered by the company.
AEJ-Bulgaria called on the authorities to swiftly put in place legal mechanisms to address the “malicious practice” of SLAPPs, pointing out in particular that there is currently no cap on financial claims that can be brought in civil proceedings in Bulgaria.