CLUB "DEMOCRATIC VALUES AND HUMAN RIGHTS"

The Club "Democratic Values and Human Rights" is an organisation with non-profit purpose, registered on 17.03.1999 according to the rules of the Bulgarian persons and family Law. The Club was founded by practicing Bulgarian lawyers from the town of Stara Zagora willing to promote and help the implementation of Democratic Society, Rule of Law and European Law principles.

The aims of the Club "Democratic Values and Human Rights" are: dissemination of knowledge concerning the practical means of Human Rights protection, assistance for education and vocational training in this domain, dissemination of knowledge concerning the European Institutions and their importance, assistance to the local power and NGOs in the field of implementation of democratic principles, protection of democratic values and human rights, sensitising of the society on violations of human rights and principles of the democracy cases, assistance to the relations of the Bulgarian NGO with international or foreign organizations and institutions working for the protection of Human Rights, the development of the society and the democratic values, preparation and participation for programs and projects concerning the harmonization of The Bulgarian legislation with the Council of Europe and the EC law.

ACTIVITIES:

• the organization of seminar for judges, prosecutors and lawyers entitled "The principles of the ECHR and their application by the Bulgarian jurisdictions" with speakers as Mr Dimitar Gotchev, Former Judge at the Bulgarian Constitutional Court and Former Judge to the European Court of Human Rights and Mr Alexandar Arabadjiev, Former member of the European Commission of Human Rights and current Bulgarian Judge at the European Court of Justice;
• seminar for journalists and lawyers: "Coverage of the legal lawsuits by the media", organized with the cooperation of the Council of Europe, among the speakers Mr Victor Soloveytchik from the Registry Office of the European Court of Human Rights;
• seminar for judges, prosecutors, investigating magistrates, lawyers, NGO workers on the application of art 3, 5, 6 and 10 of the ECHR with the cooperation of the Council of Europe; among the speakers Mr Denis Bribosia from the Directorate General of Human Rights, Mrs Michele Dubrocard from the French Foreign Ministry, etc.;
• round table on the protection of the minorities rights with the cooperation of the Stability pact for South-eastern Europe, participants - representatives of different minority groups, NGO, lawyers, journalists; among the speakers Mr Alan Philips, Former president of Minority Rights Group, Ms Geraldine Scullion, Irish specialist on minority rights and counsellor of the National Council for Ethnic and Demographic Issues in Sofia, Bulgaria, Mr. Hristo Mantchev - Vice-Prosecutor General of Republic of Bulgaria, etc.