The World Evangelical Alliance (WEA ), along with the Bulgarian and the European Evangelical Alliances, presented a joint oral statement at the UN Human Rights Council 61st session, during the adoption of the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) outcome of Bulgaria, on 18th March.

WEA communications and advocacy officer, Markus Hofer, began thanking the government of Bulgaria “for its constructive engagement in the Universal Periodic Review process”.

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“We welcome Bulgaria’s acceptance of recommendations aimed at strengthening freedom of religion or belief, combating discrimination, and ensuring equal access to political and public participation”, he added.

Political instability

However, the evangelical alliances expressed their concern about “reports related to ongoing political instability and allegations of electoral malpractice, including vote-buying practices that may disproportionately affect vulnerable communities, particularly within the Roma population”.

“Such practices risk undermining the integrity of electoral processes and weakening public confidence in democratic institutions”, pointed out Hofer.

Ongoing discrimination of Roma communities

The WEA officer denounced that “Roma evangelical pastors and churches have been subjected to police actions, investigations, or public accusations that appear discriminatory in nature and that may have had a discouraging effect on religious communities”.

For the evangelical entities, “these situations underscore the importance of independent and impartial investigations, as well as effective safeguards to prevent potential abuses of authority”.

Recommendations

That is why they encourage the Bulgarian government to “fully implement the accepted recommendations and to take concrete measures to prevent discrimination, protect freedom of religion or belief in practice, and ensure that no religious or ethnic community is unfairly affected during electoral processes”.

The recommendations, given at the previous UPR of Bulgaria last year, included “to strictly adhere to its international obligations” and “to carry out independent investigations into reported violations”.

“We remain ready to engage in continued constructive dialogue and cooperation”, concluded Hofer.