We publish another highlight from the Bulgarian Helsinki Committee 2014 Annual Report on Human Rights in Bulgaria. Click here for more highlights.

There is still no effective public debate on issues concerning lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex people in Bulgaria. Moreover, their fundamental rights, including freedom of association and the right to peaceful assembly, came under attack in 2014 by both legislative initiatives and the courts.

The Bulgarian criminal code still doesn't establish specific penalties for hate crimes or hate speech based on sex, gender identity or gender expression. Furthermore, the Constitution of the Republic of Bulgaria doesn't guarantee equal protection of those freedoms under the law.

The media coverage of the LGBTI community in 2014 continued to be weak and mostly negative or stereotypical. In many talk shows, LGBTI activists faced ultranationalist leaders or representatives of formal and informal groups of the far right.