The European Commission to the BHC: we are closely following the case of Judge Tsarigradska

The Bulgarian Helsinki Committee (BHC) received a letter from Věra Jourová, Vice-President of the European Commission, in response to the human rights organisation's letter about the state of the judiciary in Bulgaria.

In late March, the BHC sent a letter to key regional international organisations—the Council of Europe, the European Union, the United Nations, and the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE)—expressing support for a letter sent earlier by the Association of European Administrative Judges (AEAJ), the European Association of Judges (EAJ), Judges for Judges, and Magistrates Européens pour la Démocratie et les Libertés (MEDEL).

In their letter, the judicial associations addressed the threats against Bulgarian judges Vladislava Tzarigradska, who serves at the Pleven District Court, and Tsvetko Lazarov, of the Sofia Court of Appeal. The BHC broadened the scope of the issues, highlighting systematic problems like "shadowy circles of the deep state", resisting efforts to limit the power and formal and informal influence of the Chief Prosecutor within the judiciary, and addressing corruption. The organisation noted public revelations of influence peddling within the judiciary, as well as the notorious murder of one of the power brokers within the Bulgarian judiciary at the end of January 2024 that has not been properly investigated.

In her letter, Ms Jourová affirmed that the Commission is "closely following the developments surrounding the case" of Judge Tsarigradska and "remains dedicated to supporting efforts to strengthen the rule of law in Bulgaria and across the European Union".

The BHC monitors the situation of the Bulgarian judiciary as a crucial institutional tool for defending human rights, the rule of law, and democratic values. Since 2012, the organisation has run several campaigns and issued a multitude of official statements in public consultations on draft laws, in supra-national execution proceedings, in reports, etc.

Image: (cc) 2012, Cancillería Ecuador