their sexual orientation as hate crimes, and imposed harsher penalties for perpetrators. Also in July, the Sofia Court of Appeals convicted the former presidential candidate Boyan Rassate of hooliganism following a 2021 attack on an activist in the LGBTI community centre Rainbow Hub and sentenced him to six months’ probation. In September, the European Court of Human Rights found that Bulgaria’s failure to legally recognize same-sex couples violated people’s right to private and family life. DISCRIMINATION In July, the Commission for Protection against Discrimination fined the conservative Bulgarian National Movement Party BGN 1,000 (EUR 500) and prohibited them from publishing content on their website that incites hatred against ethnic minorities. The Commission described some publications on the website as hate speech, and said that making generalizations about ethnic groups constituted discrimination, which is prohibited by law. Also in July, the Commission for Protection against Discrimination said it was investigating cases of Roma being denied entry to public swimming pools across the country. In the same month, the Prosecutor’s Office investigated the pro-Russian Revival party after its official social media channel depicted a photomontage of Solomon Passy – a former foreign minister of Jewish origin – wearing a concentration camp prisoner uniform and being taken away by Nazi soldiers, presumably to be gassed. The image was captioned: “If you don’t like Russian gas, have some of ours.” REFUGEES’ AND MIGRANTS’ RIGHTS Summary returns of refugees and migrants, increasingly accompanied by violence, remained widespread at the borders, especially with Türkiye. In March, the European Commission launched a EUR 45 million pilot programme in Bulgaria with the reported aim of fast-tracking the asylum 110 process and bolstering border security and surveillance systems. RIGHTS OF PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES In March, the UN Human Rights Committee (HRC) said Bulgaria had violated multiple rights of Valya Lazarova, who was confined in a social care home for eight years due to an intellectual disability, and died in 2007. The HRC said Bulgaria had failed to ensure her protection and that she had “lost her life as a direct consequence of the deplorable conditions” in the care home. In April, the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture visited Bulgaria to review progress on the implementation of its long-standing recommendations concerning the “extremely concerning” situation of people held in psychiatric institutions and social care homes. In November, the parliament established a temporary committee, tasked with proposing legislative changes to ensure that the rights of patients with mental illness are guaranteed in law. RIGHT TO A HEALTHY ENVIRONMENT Bulgaria’s reliance on fossil fuels remained high. In January, parliament voted to backtrack on plans for an early phase-out of coal-fired plants. In July, parliament tasked the minister of energy to explore further offshore fossil gas explorations in the Black Sea, contrary to its obligations under the Paris Agreement to reduce emissions. The European Commission said Bulgaria would need to greatly strengthen its renewable targets to reflect the EU’s ambitious climate and energy targets. BURKINA FASO Burkina Faso Freedom of expression was curtailed with foreign journalists expelled and media suspended by authorities in the context of the post-coup transitional regime and the armed conflict. Armed groups and government forces committed unlawful The State of the World’s Human Rights