Hundreds of stateless people in Bulgaria, deprived of basic human rights. Although there is a statelessness determination procedure in Bulgaria, during this procedure, applicants do not receive any documents. They do not have the right to remain in the country, do not have access to even basic rights and face the risk of prolonged and unlawful immigration detention.
Such is the story of the main character of this video - Lydia. Hear about the challenges she faced during her 28 years in Bulgaria. She spent a year and a half in an immigration detention center with no prospect of being returned.
Through the Statelessness Index you can compare practices in different countries regarding detention - https://index.statelessness.eu/themes/detention. For example, in Ukraine, applicants for stateless status are granted temporary status during the procedure, allowing them access to at least some rights and reducing the risk of detention.
Learn more about how the Bulgarian statelessness system works here: https://index.statelessness.eu/country/bulgaria.
This video was created with the support of the European Network on Statelessness and is part of a series of videos on statelessness.
If you are a stateless person and need legal assistance, you can contact the Foundation for Access to Rights - FAR through this form - https://refugeelight.bg/bg/request-assistance.
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