Podcast in English
Text size
Bulgarian National Radio © 2025 All Rights Reserved

European Human Rights Court declares another church lawsuit against Bulgaria illegitimate

Photo: European Human Rights Court

The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) has declared the complaint of the Orthodox Christian Church and Others v. Bulgaria inadmissible. The decision was made unanimously on March 6 and is final, the Ministry of Justice announced.

The reason for filing the case with the European Human Rights Court is the refusal of the Bulgarian courts to register the church founded by Hristo Petrov Sabev. The allegations are a violation of Art. 9 (freedom of thought, conscience and religion) and Art. 11 (freedom of assembly and association) of the Convention for the Protection of Fundamental Rights and Freedoms.

The Bulgarian courts point out that the name Orthodox Christian Church is similar to that of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church (BOC), may create confusion among believers and mislead, because the founders share the same religious beliefs and practices as the Bulgarian Orthodox Church.

The European Human Rights Court distinguishes the present case from the previous cases “Independent Orthodox Church and Zahariev v. Bulgaria” and “Bulgarian Orthodox Old Style Church and Others v. Bulgaria”, in which it considered that although the difference in the names is in one word, it is very specific and this sufficiently distinguishes them from the Bulgarian Orthodox Church and does not create a risk of confusion among believers.




Последвайте ни и в Google News Showcase, за да научите най-важното от деня!
Listen to the daily news from Bulgaria presented in "Bulgaria Today" podcast, available in Spotify.

More from category

Warm and dynamic weather expected in Bulgaria on Wednesday

On Wednesday, lows in Bulgaria will be 5 to 10°C.  In Sofia, it will be around 6°C.  Rain will still fall in southeastern areas before noon.  The wind will remain from the southwest to moderate, and in the afternoon and in the evening north of the..

published on 3/11/25 7:15 PM

Asenovgrad welcomed the Bulgarian military contingent that was part of NATO's KFOR in Kosovo

The Bulgarian military contingent, which successfully returned from a peacekeeping mission in Kosovo, was welcomed with a ceremonial ritual in the central square of Asenovgrad. About 120 servicemen left 6 months ago and all have returned without any..

published on 3/11/25 5:59 PM
Ivelin Mihaylov, leader of Velichie party

Velichie Party is organizing a protest against election fraud

The Velichie Party has announced that they are organizing a protest march tonight at 6 pm because of "yet another electoral manipulation that led to the swapping of the Bulgarians' votes." The march will start from the monument to Tsar Osvoboditel in..

published on 3/11/25 3:13 PM