Major amendments to Bulgaria’s Law against Domestic Violence look set to enter into force in the face of fierce opposition from pro-Russian parties who say the changes promote LGBTI rights at the expense of ‘traditional’ family values. Responding to anti-violence protests following a brutal knife attack on an 18-year-old girl in Stara Zagora in late June, the amendments introduce the term ‘intimate relationships’, broadening the scope of the law beyond cases of domestic violence within marriage. The amendment passed a first reading with the support of 144 of parliament’s 240 MPs – from the conservative GERB party, its long-time partners in the Movement for Rights and Freedoms, and the pro-European We Continue and Change and Democratic Bulgaria. Read more here.
Source: Balkan Insight
