Human rights in Bulgaria to face scrutiny by UN treaty body

GENEVA – The human rights record of Bulgaria is due to face the scrutiny of the United Nations Human Rights Committee for the first time in 18 years, on Wednesday, 13 July, in a meeting that will be webcast live on the Internet.

As one of the 167 state parties to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which is one of the primary international human rights treaties, Bulgaria is required to undergo regular examinations of its human rights record before the Human Rights Committee. This will be Bulgaria’s third such review before the Committee. It was last reviewed in 1993.

In meetings which will take place on Wednesday, 13 July, from 15h00 to 18h00 and Thursday, 14 July from 10h00 to 13h00 Geneva time, the Committee, which is composed of 18 independent experts, will engage in a dialogue with the delegation of Bulgaria on questions relating to the promotion and protection of human rights in the country.

The Government of Bulgaria has already submitted a State report on implementation of its human rights obligations to the Committee and a number of non-governmental organisations have also sent reports for the Committee’s consideration.

A live webcast of the session can be viewed on http://www.ustream.tv/channel/un-human-rights-committee.

The concluding observations of the Human Rights Committee on Bulgaria will be made available on 29 July on: http://www2.ohchr.org/english/bodies/hrc/hrcs102.htm, after which interviews can be arranged with Committee members

To learn more about the Human Rights Committee, visit: http://www2.ohchr.org/english/bodies/hrc/index.htm

To learn more about the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, visit: http://www2.ohchr.org/english/law/ccpr.htm

For additional information and media requests, please contact:
In Geneva: Ravina Shamdasani (+ 41 22 917 9310 / rshamdasani@ohchr.org) or Xabier Celaya (+41 22 917 9383 / xcelaya@ohchr.org) 

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