Bulgarian Helsinki Committee

The Bulgarian Helsinki Committee was established in 1992 as an independent, non-government organization for the protection of human rights. The objectives of the committee are to promote respect for the human rights of every individual, to stimulate legislative reform to bring Bulgarian legislation in line with international human rights standards, to trigger public debate on human rights issues, to carry out advocacy for the protection of human rights, and to popularize and make widely available human rights instruments. The backbone of the committee's activities is systematic monitoring of the overall human rights situation in the country. In addition, the committee reports on specific rights issues, including freedom from torture and ill-treatment, freedom of expression and association, and problems of the criminal justice system, as well as the rights of children, ethnic and religious minorities, and refugees and asylum-seekers. The BHC offers free legal help to victims of human rights abuse. The committee also works in the sphere of human rights education, organizes conferences, workshops, public actions and other public activities aimed at bringing human rights to the attention of the general public.