Members of the European Parliament LIBE Democracy, Rule of Law and Fundamental Rights Monitoring Group are to come to Bulgaria at the end of September to investigate the police brutality against protesters during last year’s anti-government protests in Sofia, the press office of Bulgaria’s MEP Elena Yoncheva has announced.

They will hold meetings at the prosecutor’s office and the Interior Ministry and will request information about the unacceptable behavior of law enforcement officers. The announcement calls for punishment for the people directly involved, as well as for political accountability. Elena Yoncheva states that an EP resolution on the rule of law in Bulgaria was adopted in October 2020, in which it expresses regret over the significant deterioration in the observance of the rule of law, democracy and fundamental rights in Bulgaria. The issue of human rights violations is also expected to be raised with the European Parliament’s Committee on Civil Liberties.