The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) condemned Bulgaria for a campaign against Evangelical Christians on Tuesday.
In 2008, the Burgas city council sent a letter to schools warning against Protestant groups. These allegedly seduce people resulting in psychological damage, act against Bulgarian law, and divide the people by not honouring certain national saints. The media picked up on these signals, leading to a “hostile campaign”, the %22002-13934%22.
Neutrality
According to the court, the state has a “duty of neutrality”. This does not mean that the state may never warn against certain groups. Still, warnings should be “supported by evidence” and not consist of unsubstantiated “hostile language”.
In Bulgaria, the Orthodox Church is dominant and strongly linked to national identity. In many countries where the Orthodox Church is dominant, non-Orthodox groups are treated as alien to the nation.
