Around 200 Roma people in Sofia have been left homeless following the demolition of their homes by local authorities, without due process, adequate prior notice, or exploration of alternative solutions, and in direct violation of a ruling by the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR). Now deprived of shelter, access to water, electricity, and other basic services, the affected families, including children, elderly individuals, pregnant people and people with disabilities, are living in extremely precarious conditions. Amnesty International considers that such eviction, given the lack of procedural safeguards and resulting homelessness for most of the affected people, amounts to a ‘forced’ eviction, a practice prohibited under Bulgaria’s international and regional human rights obligations. Amnesty International urges the Bulgarian authorities to provide all affected families with adequate alternative housing, medical care, and social support.
On the morning of 15 April 2025, police officers accompanied by heavy machinery entered the Zaharna Fabrika neighbourhood in Sofia and demolished dozens of homes that had sheltered Roma families for generations. Almost 200 people, including children, elderly people, pregnant people, and people with disabilities, were left homeless. These demolitions were carried out without prior genuine consultation with the affected families to explore all feasible alternatives to the eviction and resettlement options.
During the Easter holidays, many families were left homeless and destitute. According to the mayor of Sofia, six families were provided with accommodation in municipal dwellings, while nine individuals were placed in a temporary shelter in the same neighbourhood. The remaining families, without shelter, were forced to sleep outdoors or in tents provided by volunteers. They had no access to water, electricity, or basic services. Both municipal and state authorities failed to offer adequate temporary housing or support to all affected families. In some cases, local officials publicly refused to assist the displaced families. Meanwhile, the central government remained silent on the actions of the local administration.
The forced evictions in Zaharna Fabrika took place despite a 11 April ruling by the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR), which ordered Bulgarian authorities to halt the demolitions and provide information on alternative housing. Ignoring the ruling, the Ilinden district administration proceeded, putting Bulgaria in breach of its human rights obligations in relation to people’s right to adequate housing and prohibitions of forced evictions. On 24 April, ECtHR reiterated its calls for the Bulgarian authorities to provide adequate accommodation. As of now, several Roma families remain homeless and in urgent need. The Sofia Municipality missed the 5 May deadline set by the ECtHR to provide housing for the people displaced.
Bulgaria is a party to several international and regional human rights treaties, including the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, International Covenant for Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, the Convention of the Rights of the Child, the International Convention for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, the Revised European Social Charter. The UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, in its General Comment 7, emphasized that evictions are permissible only as a last resort, preceded by a process of genuine consultation with all affected to explore all alternatives to the evictions, accompanied by the provision of adequate alternative housing for all those in need, and safeguards to protect people’s dignity and human rights.
Even if an eviction is considered to be justified, it can only be carried out when the appropriate procedural protections are in place and if compensation for all loses and adequate alternative housing is provided to all people affected. Furthermore, the ECtHR held in April 2012, in a landmark decision, that if a community lived in a place for a number of years, the authorities should not treat it the same as other «routine cases of removal… from unlawfully occupied property». Instead, the authorities have an obligation to show that the eviction was «proportionate» to the aim being pursued. The authorities also have to consider the risk of people being rendered homeless as a result of evictions (Yordanova et al v Bulgaria).
These human rights obligations were blatantly disregarded by Ilinden authorities. Amnesty International considers that this eviction amount to a forced eviction due to the lack of procedural safeguards and resulting homelessness. Amnesty International is concerned that this incident represents yet another case in which Roma communities have been forcibly evicted from their homes by local authorities in violation of international and regional human rights standards to which Bulgaria is legally bound.
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