Our team

Krassimir Kanev was one of the founders of the BHC in 1992. Between 1992 and 1994 he was a secretary of the organization, and after 1994 – its chairperson. He graduated in philosophy and defended his doctoral dissertation at Sofia University "St. Kliment Ohridski". He majored in human rights at Columbia University in New York.

Krassimir Kanev has taught human rights at Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski” and runs several online human rights courses for the American organization Human Rights Training Partners for professionals and activists from around the world. He has taught at Paisii Hilendarski University in Plovdiv, as well as at the Central European University, the University of Sarajevo, and the University of Eugene, Oregon. From 1998 to 2007 he was a member of the Executive Committee of the International Helsinki Federation for Human Rights, based in Vienna, Austria. Since 2015 he has been a member of the management board of the EU Fundamental Rights Agency (FRA). Between 2005 and 2011 he was a member of the board of the UN Fund for the Protection of Victims of Torture, and between 2008 and 2010 he was its chairman. Since 2006 he has been a member of the board of the Association for the Prevention of Torture, Geneva. Between 2008 and 2018 he was a member of the board of the Institute of Public Interest Law, New York. Between 2007 and 2010 he was a member of the board of the European Roma Rights Center, Budapest. Since 2018, he has been a member of the board of the International Partnership for Human Rights, Brussels. He has participated in dozens of international human rights monitoring missions in Europe, Central Asia, and the Middle East.

Kanev is author and editor of numerous books and articles in the field of international human rights law, sociology of interethnic relations, law and education, aesthetics, and logic.

Antoaneta Nenkova was one of the founders of BHC in 1992. She is a Member of the General Assembly and the Board of Bulgarian Helsinki Committee. Nenkova received her master's degree in Journalism and Mass Communications from Sofia University. She has 15 years of experience as a correspondent of the Bulgarian service of Deutsche Welle (DW) Radio in Sofia.

As a senior researcher for children’s rights, Antoaneta Nenkova has been involved since 2010 in the monitoring and analysis of the process of the deinstitutionalization of children’s institutions. Antoaneta Nenkova is a member of the expert group Family and Deinstitutionalization of the National Network for Children. She serves as a country expert for the Varieties of Democracy (V-Dem) project – a collaboration among the University of Gothenburg, Sweden, and the Kellogg Institute for International Studies at the University of Notre Dame, USA.

Antoaneta Nenkova is author of the publication Children in institutions – Homes for Children with Special Needs; and co-author of publications: The Archipelago of the Forgotten - Social Care Homes for People with Mental Disorders in Bulgaria; and Metamorphosis of the homes for children aged 0 to 3 years, 2014. She is also the author of many articles in the press and radiobroadcasts of the Bulgarian National Radio and Deutsche Welle on Human Rights of the disadvantaged minority groups in Bulgaria. Nenkova has been awarded numerous prizes: prize of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID); German – Bulgarian Chamber of Commerce; Paniza Prize for Bulgarian Journalists. She was nominated for the Robert Schuman Award, given by the European Commission. Her radio documentaries are included in the Golden Fund of Bulgarian National Radio.

Adela Katchaounova received her LLM from Sofia University in 2002 and in 2003 she got a master’s in international and comparative law from Uppsala University, Sweden. She has worked in the European banking law field but due to her personal convictions and social commitments she joined BHC in 2012.

She started her work in BHC as a volunteer to the Legal Programme and continued to work as a lawyer in the program where she participated in the work of several applications with ECHR for ill-treatment of children in closed institutions. As of October 2014 she joined the Monitoring and Research Programme where she leads cases in the fields – conditions of imprisonment, rights of the child in closed institutions, juvenile justice.

She is a lecturer in seminars for equal rights of LGBT couples and an author of human rights law articles.

Iveta Savova graduated with a degree in Law from Sofia University "St. Kliment Ohridski" in 2009. In 2008, she completed a one-semester study program under the Socrates – Erasmus initiative at Erasmus University Rotterdam, Netherlands.

Since 2012, Iveta has been a registered attorney with the Sofia Bar Association. Before joining the Bulgarian Helsinki Committee at the end of 2016, she worked at a law firm specializing primarily in commercial law.

In 2014, Iveta served as an expert attorney in the project "Raising Awareness of My Human Rights – A Guarantee for the Development of LGBT Policies in Bulgaria." As part of the initiative, she conducted training sessions on "What is Discrimination, Types of Discrimination, and How to Protect Ourselves if We Become Victims of Discrimination."

Iveta is fully committed to the protection of human rights and the pursuit of strategic litigation, which plays a key role in shifting public attitudes and ensuring equal treatment for all citizens.

Attorney Diana Dragieva graduated from the Faculty of Law at Plovdiv University "Paisii Hilendarski" and has been a member of the Sofia Bar Association since 2005. She specializes in civil and administrative law. Since October 2017, she has been part of the Legal Program of the Bulgarian Helsinki Committee.

Maria Georgieva holds a Master’s degree in Law from Veliko Tarnovo University "St. Cyril and St. Methodius". She was a member of the university’s Legal Clinic, where she provided legal assistance to individuals from vulnerable groups. Maria has experience as a consultant in the field of EU funding and public procurement, having developed and managed projects related to the rights of women and children—particularly in the areas of domestic violence, human trafficking, gender equality, non-discrimination, and the rights of child victims of violence. From 2013 to 2017, she worked as a freelance collaborator with the Translation Service of the Court of Justice of the European Union. Subsequently, she held the position of Government Agent at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Bulgaria, where she represented the country in proceedings before the Court of Justice of the European Union.

Nadezhda Tsekulova graduated from the German Language High School in Ruse and later studied Journalism at the Sofia University. She has extensive experience as a journalist, working in the fields of healthcare, social policy, and human rights. For most of her career, she worked at the Bulgarian National Radio, while simultaneously engaging in volunteer work for causes directly affecting health, welfare, and human rights, with a focus on children and women.

Regarding her work at the Bulgarian Helsinki Committee, Nadezhda Tsekulova shares: “As I gained experience and knowledge, the direct impact of my work and its significance for those indirectly affected by it became increasingly important to me. This motivated me to seek a path outside the media sector, in the non-governmental field, where I could turn my previous volunteer activities into a profession. BHC is a space of free spirit and human solidarity, which gives me meaning and a sense of contributing to making our world a little better.”

Bosilena Melteva is a communications specialist in the "Campaigns and Communications" program at the Bulgarian Helsinki Committee since the summer of 2018. Prior to that, she devoted many years to journalism, starting as a political reporter at "Mediapool," writing on social and educational topics for the "Society" section of "Capital" and "Capital Lite" magazines. A significant part of her time and energy has been dedicated to promoting a sustainable lifestyle as part of the "Gorichka" initiative team and later as the editor of "Green Diary" at dnevnik.bg (since 2012). In 2013, she won the award for a journalist who contributed to the popularization of nature protection campaigns at the Annual Biodiversity Awards. She also received a journalistic award for a series of investigative reports on the case of the poisoning of almost the entire population of white-headed eagles in the Kresna Gorge at the Annual Awards for Combating Crimes against Nature in 2017. She graduated from the Faculty of Philosophy at Sofia University as a master's student in "Political Science" and studied at an English language high school.

She graduated from the Second English Language High School in Sofia and later studied Journalism at the Faculty of Journalism and Mass Communication at Sofia University. During her studies in 2010, she started working at "Ekonomedia" as an intern at "Capital Careers" and later remained with the media group as a reporter at "Dnevnik" until 2018. Her main focus there was on topics related to health and healthcare, education and social policy, civil initiatives, and activities in the non-governmental sector. In 2017, she received an award for journalism in the field of volunteering at the first edition of the TimeHeroes Annual Awards "Heroes." She joined the team of the "Communications and Campaigns" program at the Bulgarian Helsinki Committee in 2019. She is passionate about cinema, photography, contemporary art, digital media and technologies, climate change, environmental protection, and, above all, human stories.

Yoan Ivanov graduated from the National High School for Ancient Languages and Cultures "St. Constantine-Cyril the Philosopher." He is a law student at Sofia University "St. Kliment Ohridski." For several years, he worked professionally in sports journalism and even made the news himself as "Cyclist of the Year" in 2020.

He joined the BHC in October 2024, contributing to both the "Communications and Campaigns" program and the "Legal Program." Since 2022, he has been actively engaged in volunteer work focused on humanitarian aid for victims of the war in Ukraine and has visited the country as part of the BHC.

Iliana Savova has been working on issues of housing and migration at BHC since 1996. Since 1997 she is the coordinator of the National Legal Network for Refugees, while in 2001 she became the director of the legal protection of refugees and migrants program. She is a graduate of the Faculty of Law of Sofia University St. Kliment Ohridski and has studied human rights and refugee law at the European Court of Human Rights and New College, Oxford. She is a member of the Sofia Bar Association.  Savova lectures refugee and immigration law at the Krastio Tsonchev Centre for lawyers’ training of the Supreme Bar Council.

Alexandra Dichevska has been a legal consultant with the Legal Aid Program for Refugees and Migrants since 2021 and is responsible for the program's legal clinic at the territorial division of the State Agency for Refugees in Harmanli. She holds a law degree from the Faculty of Law at Veliko Tarnovo University "St. Cyril and St. Methodius."

Antoaneta Dedikova is a legal consultant and data & statistics analyst with the Legal Aid for Refugees and Migrants Programme. She has been part of the Bulgarian Helsinki Committee since 2000.

She holds a law degree from the Faculty of Law at Lomonosov Moscow State University and specializes in the protection of separated children. She also serves as Bulgaria’s national coordinator for the Separated Children in Europe Programme.

Antoaneta actively participates in national and international research projects on migrants' healthcare rights and key standards for voluntary return.

Valentina Nilsen has been attorney-at-law in the Legal Aid for Refugees and Migrants Programme since 1999 and is responsible for conducting monitoring of legal standards in the administrative proceedings for granting international protection. She is a graduate of the Faculty of Law of the University for National and World Economy and has specialized refugee law at the European Council on Refugees and Exiles (ECRE).

Vladimir Milev has been a Program Assistant with the Legal Aid for Refugees and Migrants Programme since 2024. He is responsible for coordination, digitalization, accountability, internal control, and communication activities within the program. He holds a degree from the Faculty of Journalism and Mass Communication at Sofia University and has specialized in finance and cybersecurity.

Desislava Tyaneva has been a legal consultant to the Legal Aid of Refugees and Migrants Programme since 2014. She is responsible for monitoring the detention center in Lyubimets. She graduated from the Faculty of Law at the South-West University “Neofit Rilski” – Blagoevgrad.

Dimitar Tanchev has been a lawyer with the Legal Aid of Refugees and Migrants Programme since 2024. He graduated the Faculty of Law at the Sofia University and has a second master's degree in human rights from the European University Centre in Nancy, France. Member of the Sofia Bar Association.

Elitsa Sekulova has been an accountant in the Legal Aid of refugees and Migrants Programme since 2005 and is responsible for administrative and financial book-keeping and management. She is a graduate of the Faculty of Accountancy and Control at the University for National and World Economy and holds international accountancy standards certifications (IASs).

Zornitsa Chakarova has been a lawyer with the Legal Aid for Refugees and Migrants since 2015 and is responsible for monitoring the proceedings for granting international protection in the territorial divisions of the State Agency for Refugees in Harmanli and Pastrogor. She graduated from the Faculty of Law at the South-West University “Neofit Rilski” – Blagoevgrad.

Katya Dimitrova has been a legal consultant at the Program for Legal Aid of Refugees and Migrants since 2013 and is responsible for the monitoring of the Bulgarian-Turkish border and access to the territory of persons seeking protection. She graduated from the Faculty of Law of the Varna Free University "Chernorizets Hrabar".

Mariana Nikolova has been a lawyer with the Program for Legal Aid of Refugees and Migrants since 1999 and is responsible for monitoring the proceedings for granting international protection in the territorial division of the State Agency for Refugees in the village of Banya. She graduated from the Faculty of Law of the University of National and World Economy and has specializations in international protection of refugees and fundamental rights of migrants at UNICRI. Member of the Sliven Bar Association.

Martin Hristov has been a lawyer with the Program for Legal Aid for Refugees and Migrants since 1997. Since 2016, he has been responsible for monitoring places of detention and access to proceedings for granting international protection. He graduated from the Higher Institute for Officer Training and Scientific Research. He has specialized at the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in proceedings for determining the state responsible for examining applications for protection.

Milen Hristov is a lawyer with the Program for Legal Aid of Refugees and Migrants. He started working for the program as a student in 2017 as a profiler in the registration and reception center in Sofia, Voenna Rampa. Graduated in law from the Faculty of Law of the New Bulgarian University. Member of the Sofia Bar Association. Responsible for monitoring readmission proceedings and returns in the premices of the Dublin regulation, as well as the closed-type premises of the State Agency for Refugees.

Petko Radev has been working for the Program for Legal Aid for Refugees and Migrants since 2024 as a legal consultant for monitoring the readmission and detention at the Lyubimets Detention Centre (Special Home for Temporary Accommodation of Foreigners (SHAF). He has ten years of previous experience as an interviewer in the proceedings for granting international protection at the registration and reception center of the State Agency for Refugees in the town of Harmanli from 2014 to 2024. He graduated from the Faculty of Law of Sofia University.

Plamen Bozhilov has been working for the Program for Legal Aid for Refugees and Migrants since 2006 as a lawyer in border surveillance and access to the territory at the Bulgarian-Turkish border. He graduated from the Faculty of Law of the Plovdiv University "Paisiy Hilendarski" - Plovdiv. Member of the Yambol Bar Association since 2001.

Plamen Zhelev has been attorney-at-law in the Legal Aid of Refugees and Migrants Program since 1997 and is responsible for the trial proceedings of refugee cases. He graduated from the Higher Institute for Instruction of Officers and Research. He has specialized with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in the proceedings of determining the state, responsible for reviewing claims for protection.

Silvia Ivanova has been a lawyer with the Program for Legal Aid for Refugees and Migrants since 2023 and is responsible for monitoring the proceedings for granting international protection in the territorial divisions of the State Agency for Refugees in Harmanli and Pastrogor. She graduated from the Faculty of Law at the South-West University “Neofit Rilski” in Blagoevgrad. Member of the Haskovo Bar Association.

Stoyan Madin has been a lawyer with the Program for Legal Aid for Refugees and Migrants since 2023 and is responsible for the legal proceedings in refugee cases. He graduated from the Faculty of Law at the Sofia University. Member of the Sofia Bar Association. He has specializations in criminal law and human rights. Lecturer at the Faculty of Law at the Sofia University, Department of “International Law and International Relations”.

Radoslav Stoyanov is a Master of Laws and an activist for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) equality since 2008. He has litigated a series of public interest cases concerning discrimination against LGBTI people, ethnic, religious and age minorities. He is the founder of the long-running Stalik's blog on LGBTI issues, where he promoted educational and analytical works related to the queer communities, stigma and prejudice. In 2012 he received the Activist of the Year award within the Bulgarian Helsinki Committee's Person of the Year 2012 award, and since March 2013 he has been part of the BHC's team.

Severina Petkova has been working at BHC as a treasurer-accountant since July 2008. She is interested in finance and international relations.