Bulgaria - January 2025

Two rights organizations released a report containing evidence—including photos, geolocation data, and testimonies—alleging that the authorities ignored emergency calls and obstructed efforts to rescue three Egyptian teenage boys who later died of hypothermia near the Bulgarian-Turkish border. Civil society group members claim that, despite providing the GPS coordinates of the teenagers, authorities failed to assist them. Activists were reportedly blocked by border police from reaching the location and were only able to access the area the following day when they discovered the bodies at the same coordinates they had previously shared. The border police denied the allegations, stating that the alerts contained incorrect information and that the bodies were found in different locations than those initially reported. Bulgaria has faced scrutiny over violence and pushbacks before, but this case shows the failure to provide aid and obstruction of rescue efforts, despite rights groups' involvement. 

Sources: No Name Kitchen & Collettivo Rotte Balcaniche, The Guardian, Al Jazeera, Human Rights Watch