The border fence near Lesovo, on the Bulgaria-Turkey border. File photo, BGNES
The European Commission should "forcefully remind Bulgaria of EU laws and standards" and call on authorities to investigate "credible reports of abuses," Human Rights Watch has said.
It cites the story of a migrant named Abdullah (for the sake of the story) who claims to have been beaten by Bulgarian border police officers, the latter also stealing his personal belongings as he was crossing into the country.
"While Bulgaria has the right to protect its borders, it doesn’t have the right to summarily return people to Turkey or physically abuse them. By focusing on border protection, Avramopoulos missed the chance to press Bulgaria on violence against migrants and asylum seekers," HRW argues.
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In a decisive move, the Bulgarian Parliament has approved a measure to bolster security at all centers for migrants and refugees under the jurisdiction of the State Agency for Refugees.
A Polish citizen has been sentenced to one year and three months in prison by the Sofia District Prosecutor's Office for trafficking migrants through Bulgaria
In the midst of heightened political rhetoric surrounding the upcoming European Parliament election, the Bulgarian government has taken to social media to combat what it describes as a disinformation campaign regarding migrants
Petar Todorov, the former Chief Secretary of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, has issued a stark warning regarding the anticipated increase in migrant pressure on Bulgaria starting next month
After recent incidents in the Bulgarian capital, the Ministry of Internal Affairs announced plans to bolster police presence in Sofia and other key areas
Brazen Bulgarian gangs "terrorise the elderly and rob them over their life savings with increasingly aggressive phone scams nettling millions of euros," according to an AFP story.
The prospect of US President Donald Trump's moving closer to Russia has scrambled the strategy of "balancing East and West" used for decades by countries like Bulgaria, the New York Times says.
Bulgarians have benefited a lot from their EU membership, with incomes rising and Brussels overseeing politicians, according to a New York Times piece.
The truth about Bulgaria and Moldova's presidential elections is "more complicated" and should not be reduced to pro-Russian candidates winning, the Economist says.
President-elect Rumen Radev "struck a chord with voters by attacking the status quo and stressing issues like national security and migration," AFP agency writes after the presidential vote on Sunday.
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