A declaration of sympathy with the Ukrainian people was published on the website [1] of the Sofia Bar Council.
We publish the Declaration below with English translation from the original Bulgarian language.
Sofia Bar Association
Declaration in solidarity with the Ukrainian people
02 March 2022
Dear Colleagues,
By the decision of the Council of the SAC of 02.03.2022 the following Declaration was adopted in solidarity with the Ukrainian people:
The Sofia Bar Association expresses its solidarity with the Ukrainian people facing the criminal military aggression of the Russian Federation.
The military invasion has grossly violated the sovereignty of Ukraine, fundamental principles of international law, and international treaties and agreements concluded. It has brought death, destruction and immeasurable suffering to millions of civilians in Ukraine.
As we join the outcry of lawyers, scholars, writers, public figures and citizens around the world against the war, we call for reason, for respect for the right of the people of Ukraine to live peacefully and to determine their future without foreign military or other interference. We also support the statement of the Council of Bars and Law Societies of Europe (EN_20220225_CCBE-Statement-on-Ukraine.pdf) demanding an immediate end to the military invasion of Ukraine, which is incompatible with the common human values of peace, freedom, security and justice.
We also express our collegial support and human concern for Ukrainian lawyers and human rights defenders, whose role is particularly difficult in a war.
We express our gratitude to the lawyers of the Sofia Bar Association who are already providing legal assistance to Ukrainian and other citizens seeking asylum in Bulgaria from the war in Ukraine, and we call on all lawyers to join the initiatives to provide legal and humanitarian assistance to the victims of the war.
We believe that with the efforts of the entire international community, politicians and statesmen will find a way to put an immediate end to the military conflict.
The adopted declaration of the Sofia Bar Council is part of the efforts and position of the global legal community condemning the war, reflected in declarations and positions of various bar organizations, which the Sofia Bar Association joins:
International Bar Association – available here. [2]
Council of Bars and Law Societies of Europe (CCBE) – available here. [3]
The International Bar Association (UIA) – available here. [4]