ERRC prevails in court against Bulgarian Ministry of Education on school segregation of Roma

28 October 2005 - On October 25, 2005, the Sofia District court released its decision on Case 11630/2004 finding that the Bulgarian Ministry of Education, the Sofia Municipality and School Number 103 of Sofia have violated the prohibition of racial segregation and unequal treatment provided in Bulgarian and
international law.

Dimitrina Petrova, Executive Director of the European Roma Rights Centre, said: "After a period of fifty-one years, the soul of Brown v Board of Education crossed the Atlantic and was reborn in Europe. For the first time, a civil court in a European country, Bulgaria, found that separate by coercion means unequal."

Full text in Human Rights News >>

Two ECHR judgments find Bulgaria violated freedom of assembly and association

20 October 2005 - The the two cases, United Macedonian Organisation Ilinden and Ivanov v. Bulgaria and United Macedonian Organisation Ilinden - PIRIN and Others v. Bulgaria, the Court held, unanimously, that there had been a violation of Article 11 (freedom of assembly and association) of the European Convention on Human Rights.

Full text in Human Rights News>>