The idea for the project originated at the end of 2008. The year was marked with several cases, which undermined the situation with free speech and the right to life and protection from torture: the giving of the Chernorizets Hrabar young journalist award to the outspoken racist Kalin Rumenov, the attacks over journalists, including the attempted murder of Ognyan Stefanov, the murder of writer Georgi Stoev, the extremely ineffective regulation by the Council of Electronic Media on hate speech, the attempts to control Internet activity; the increased number of deaths during police detention and the excessive use of force by police officers in detention. The project relies on strengthening the capacity of the groups which are supposed to combat these abuses through training and enhancing their capacity to use domestic and international mechanisms for protection of these two rights.
The main goal of the project was to improve the knowledge among Bulgarian civil society about the standards and mechanisms for protection from torture, inhuman and degrading treatment and punishment and in the sphere of freedom of expression. To achieve this aim, the BHC organized two human rights trainings for 62 professionals and published two human rights manuals on the standards of these rights and the mechanisms for their protection, as well as a series of other smaller translated materials.
In the framework of the two trainings, the BHC trained 62 participants – lawyers, prosecutors, an investigating police officer, journalists, human rights activists. The participants were trained how to offer more effective protection against violations of the right to freedom of expression and protection from torture and other inhumane and degrading treatment and punishment; to advocate more effectively for the protection of these standards through public speech; and to counteract violations of these rights.
Contact information
Desislava Simeonova
7 Varbitsa Street, 1504 Sofia, Bulgaria
Tel.: ++3592 944 0670, ++3592 943 4876
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