CEDH · CASELAW;JUDGMENTS;COMMITTEE;ENG — 9 octobre 2025

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BULGARIA (Applications nos. 49554/21 and 64 others – see appended list)             JUDGMENT   STRASBOURG 9 October 2025     This judgment is final but it may be subject to editorial revision. In the case of Memishev and Others v. Bulgaria, The European Court of Human Rights (Third Section), sitting as a Committee composed of:   Úna Ní Raifeartaigh, President   Mateja Đurović,   Vasilka Sancin , judges , and Viktoriya Maradudina, Acting Deputy Section Registrar, Having deliberated in private on 18 September 2025, Delivers the following judgment, which was adopted on that date: PROCEDURE 1.     The case originated in applications against Bulgaria lodged with the Court under Article   34 of the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms (“the Convention”) on the various dates indicated in the appended table. 2.     The applicants were represented by Ms S. Ivanova, a lawyer practising in Sofia. 3.     The Bulgarian Government (“the Government”) were given notice of the applications. THE FACTS 4.     The list of applicants and the relevant details of the applications are set out in the appended table. 5.     The applicants complained under Article 3 of Protocol No. 1 to the Convention of their ineligibility, as convicted prisoners, to vote in legislative elections. They also argued under Article 14 of the Convention that this was also in breach of the prohibition of discrimination. THE LAW JOINDER OF THE APPLICATIONS 6.     Having regard to the similar subject matter of the applications, the Court finds it appropriate to examine them jointly in a single judgment. ALLEGED VIOLATION OF ARTICLE 3 ProtOCOL N o . 1 7.     The applicants complained principally of their ineligibility as convicted prisoners to vote in legislative elections. They relied, expressly or in substance, on Article 3 of Protocol No. 1 to the Convention. 8.     The Court refers to the principles established in its case ‑ law regarding ineligibility to vote in elections (see, among other authorities,   Hirst v. the United Kingdom (no. 2)   [GC], no.   74025/01 , §§ 56-71, ECHR   2005 ‑ IX; Scoppola v. Italy (no. 3)   [GC], no.   126/05 , §§ 81-87, 22   May 2012; and Anchugov and Gladkov   v.   Russia , nos.   11157/04   and   15162/05 , §§   93 ‑ 100, 4   July 2013). The essence of these principles, reiterated in all of these key cases, is that when disenfranchisement affects a group of people generally, automatically and indiscriminately, solely on the basis that they are serving a prison sentence, irrespective of the length of the sentence and irrespective of the nature or gravity of their offences and their individual circumstances, it is not compatible with Article 3 of Protocol No. 1. 9.     In the leading case of Kulinski and Sabev v. Bulgaria, no. 63849/09, 21   July 2016, the Court already found a violation in respect of issues similar to those in the present case. 10.     Having examined all the material submitted to it, the Court has not found any fact or argument capable of persuading it to reach a different conclusion on the admissibility and merits of these complaints. 11.     These complaints are therefore admissible and disclose a breach of Article   3 of Protocol No. 1 to the Convention. OTHER ALLEGED VIOLATIONS UNDER WELL-ESTABLISHED CASE-LAW 12.     The applicants also complained under Article 14 of the Convention. Having regard to the conclusion above under Article 3 of Protocol No.   1, the Court considers that, while this part of the application is admissible, no separate issue arises under Article 14 of the Convention in the circumstances of the present case (compare   Hirst (no.   2)   [GC], cited above, §§   87 and 89, and Anchugov and Gladkov , cited above, § 116). APPLICATION OF ARTICLE   41 OF THE CONVENTION 13.     Regard being had to the documents in its possession and to its case ‑ law (see, in particular,   Tingarov and Others v. Bulgari a , no. 42286/21, 10 October 2023), the Court considers that the finding of a violation constitutes sufficient just satisfaction in the present cases. FOR THESE REASONS, THE COURT, UNANIMOUSLY, Decides to join the applications; Declares the applications admissible; Holds that these applications disclose a breach of Article 3 of Protocol   No.   1 to the Convention concerning the ineligibility of the applicants as convicted prisoners to vote in legislative elections; Holds that no separate issue arises under Article 14 of the Convention; Holds that the finding of a violation constitutes in itself sufficient just satisfaction. Done in English, and notified in writing on 9 October 2025, pursuant to Rule   77   §§   2 and   3 of the Rules of Court.     Viktoriya Maradudina   Úna Ní Raifeartaigh   Acting Deputy Registrar   President     APPENDIX List of applications raising complaints under Article 3 of Protocol No. 1 of the Convention (ineligibility of convicted prisoners to vote in legislative elections) No. Application no. Date of introduction Applicant’s name Year of birth   Type of restriction Election details     49554/21 04/10/2021 Memish Aliev MEMISHEV 1982   Impossibility for the applicants, convicted prisoners, to vote in parliamentary elections   National parliamentary election, 04/04/2021     49575/21 04/10/2021 Georgi Valev VALEV 1958   National parliamentary election, 04/04/2021     49578/21 04/10/2021 Ramadan Asanov SHERIFOV 1981   National parliamentary election, 11/07/2021     49586/21 04/10/2021 Ivan Tsvetanov IVANOV 1983   National parliamentary election, 04/04/2021     49645/21 04/10/2021 Svetlomir Nikolov NESHKOV 1971   National parliamentary election, 04/04/2021     49646/21 04/10/2021 Emil Dimitrov MILEV 1965   National parliamentary election, 04/04/2021     49650/21 04/10/2021 Deniz Syuleymanov AHMEDOV 1989   National parliamentary election, 04/04/2021     49757/21 04/10/2021 Ivan Stoyanov IVANOV 1965   National parliamentary election, 04/04/2021     49759/21 04/10/2021 Chernyo Georgiev IVANOV 1976   National parliamentary election, 04/04/2021   49762/21 04/10/2021 Eduard Dimitrov PAVLOV 1968   National parliamentary election, 04/04/2021   49764/21 04/10/2021 Georgi Dimitrov DIMITROV 1982   National parliamentary election, 04/04/2021   49765/21 04/10/2021 Dragomir Tanev MANOLOV 1982   National parliamentary election, 11/07/2021   49767/21 04/10/2021 Petar Mitev DEMIREV 1980   National parliamentary election, 04/04/2021   49773/21 04/10/2021 Yuliyan Lyubomirov ZASHEV 1975   National parliamentary election, 04/04/2021   49790/21 04/10/2021 Miroslav Sabev SABEV 1966   National parliamentary election, 11/07/2021   49799/21 04/10/2021 Dragomir Tanev MANOLOV 1982   National parliamentary election, 04/04/2021   49800/21 04/10/2021 Miroslav Sabev SABEV 1966   National parliamentary election, 04/04/2021   49801/21 04/10/2021 Nazam Nazmi AZIZ 1981   National parliamentary election, 04/04/2021   49831/21 04/10/2021 Daniel Dimitrov DIMITROV 1974   National parliamentary election, 04/04/2021   49837/21 04/10/2021 Halil Adem HASAN 1973   National parliamentary election, 04/04/2021   49839/21 04/10/2021 Ramadan Asanov SHERIFOV 1981   National parliamentary election, 04/04/2021   50434/21 04/10/2021 Memish Aliev MEMISHEV 1982   National parliamentary election, 11/07/2021   5540/22 11/01/2022 Biser Yavorov MILANOV 1978   National parliamentary election, 11/07/2021   5542/22 11/01/2022 Emil Georgiev KOSTADINOV 1966   National parliamentary election, 11/07/2021   5544/22 11/01/2022 Halil Adem HASAN 1973   National parliamentary election, 11/07/2021   5545/22 11/01/2022 Daniel Dimitrov DIMITROV 1974   National parliamentary election, 11/07/2021   5546/22 11/01/2022 Deniz Syuleymanov AHMEDOV 1989   National parliamentary election, 11/07/2021   5549/22 11/01/2022 Ivan Tsvetanov IVANOV 1983   National parliamentary election, 11/07/2021   5551/22 11/01/2022 Eduard Dimitrov PAVLOV 1968   National parliamentary election, 11/07/2021   5553/22 11/01/2022 Svetlomir Nikolov NESHKOV 1971   National parliamentary election, 11/07/2021   5555/22 11/01/2022 Asen Hristov ASENOV 1976   National parliamentary election, 11/07/2021   5681/22 11/01/2022 Ivan Nikolaev RIBOV 1979   National parliamentary election, 11/07/2021   5682/22 11/01/2022 Georgi Dimitrov DIMITROV 1982   National parliamentary election, 11/07/2021   5684/22 11/01/2022 Petar Mitev DEMIREV 1980   National parliamentary election, 11/07/2021   5687/22 11/01/2022 Nikolay Stefanov PRAVCHEV 1974   National parliamentary election, 11/07/2021   5688/22 11/01/2022 Tsvetan Georgiev RANGELOV 1961   National parliamentary election, 11/07/2021   5691/22 11/01/2022 Hristo Atanasov ATANASOV 1959   National parliamentary election, 11/07/2021   5692/22 11/01/2022 Chernyo Georgiev IVANOV 1976   National parliamentary election, 11/07/2021   5711/22 11/01/2022 Ivan Stoyanov IVANOV 1965   National parliamentary election, 11/07/2021   5715/22 11/01/2022 Krasimir Tsvetkov KAMENOV 1974   National parliamentary election, 11/07/2021   26588/22 13/05/2022 Dragomir Tanev MANOLOV 1982   National parliamentary election, 14/11/2021   26596/22 13/05/2022 Encho Kostadinov ENCHEV 1970   National parliamentary election, 14/11/2021   26598/22 13/05/2022 Mitko Georgiev HARAKCHIEV 1968   National parliamentary election, 14/11/2021   26615/22 13/05/2022 Biser Yavorov MILANOV 1978   National parliamentary election, 14/11/2021   26618/22 13/05/2022 Emil Georgiev KOSTADINOV 1966   National parliamentary election, 14/11/2021   26619/22 13/05/2022 Yuliyan Lyubomirov ZASHEV 1975   National parliamentary election, 14/11/2021   26623/22 13/05/2022 Ivan Tsvetanov IVANOV 1983   National parliamentary election, 14/11/2021   26626/22 13/05/2022 Svetlomir Nikolov NESHKOV 1971   National parliamentary election, 14/11/2021   26635/22 13/05/2022 Asen Hristov ASENOV 1976   National parliamentary election, 14/11/2021   26644/22 13/05/2022 Tsvetan Georgiev RANGELOV 1961   National parliamentary election, 14/11/2021   6886/23 30/01/2023 Dragomir Tanev MANOLOV 1982   National parliamentary election, 02/10/2022   6887/23 30/01/2023 Kosta Rumenov KIROV 1980   National parliamentary election, 02/10/2022   6895/23 30/01/2023 Georgi Dimitrov DIMITROV 1982   National parliamentary election, 02/10/2022   6908/23 30/01/2023 Eduard Dimitrov PAVLOV 1968   National parliamentary election, 02/10/2022   6911/23 30/01/2023 Ivan Tsvetanov IVANOV 1983   National parliamentary election, 02/10/2022   6912/23 30/01/2023 Yuliyan Lyubomirov ZASHEV 1975   National parliamentary election, 02/10/2022   6914/23 30/01/2023 Krasimir Tsvetkov KAMENOV 1974   National parliamentary election, 02/10/2022   6920/23 30/01/2023 Svetlomir Nikolov NESHKOV 1971   National parliamentary election, 02/10/2022   30363/23 29/07/2023 Dragomir Tanev MANOLOV 1982   National parliamentary election, 02/04/2023   30369/23 29/07/2023 Miroslav Sabev SABEV 1966   National parliamentary election, 02/04/2023   30370/23 29/07/2023 Biser Yavorov MILANOV 1978   National parliamentary election, 02/04/2023   30373/23 29/07/2023 Georgi Valev VALEV 1958   National parliamentary election, 02/04/2023   30375/23 29/07/2023 Ivan Nikolaev RIBOV 1979   National parliamentary election, 02/04/2023   30383/23 29/07/2023 Svetlomir Nikolov NESHKOV 1971   National parliamentary election, 02/04/2023   30386/23 29/07/2023 Halil Adem HASAN 1973   National parliamentary election, 02/04/2023