The Commission for Prevention and Protection from Discrimination strongly opposes the articles in the Bulgarian media, where this institution is attacked with untruths and manipulations.
In the published text, “Trud.bg” refers to the former Commission for Protection from Discrimination, an institution that was abolished with the adoption of the new Law on Prevention and Protection from Discrimination. This text, which was not signed by the author, claims that they sent a man to the address “Blvd. Goce Delchev” No.18, in the building of MRT, and there they did not find the Commission for Protection from Discrimination. They made an attempt to contact the e-mail address contact@kzd.mk and concluded that it is out of order, just like the website KZD.MK. They immediately came to the “conclusion” that the Commission was working with a non-existent e-mail and telephone.
Apparently, the author of the text knocked in the wrong place. The address of the Commission for Protection from Discrimination, the telephone numbers, the website and the e-mail address that this media outlet has been publishing, have been non-existent for a while.
The Commission for Prevention and Protection from Discrimination is a new body and is not the legal successor of the previous Commission for Protection from Discrimination. This body is a professional body for prevention and protection from discrimination, established in accordance with the Law on Prevention and Protection from Discrimination adopted in October 2020, and elected by the Assembly on January 25, 2021.
The seat of the Commission is located on street Dame Gruev no. 1 in Skopje, where citizens can submit complaints in person or by mail. The official e-mail address of the Commission is contact@kszd.mk, while the website is under development in cooperation with the OSCE and is expected to be ready this month.
By publishing the website, the possibility for online submission of complaints by the citizens will be promoted.
Currently, the Commission operates through the Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/kszd.mk, where the address, e-mail and contact telephone numbers are clearly stated. The publication of the text in the Bulgarian media is a gross attempt to involve the CPPD in politically motivated clashes, and we as an independent body in charge of promoting equality, prevention and protection against discrimination of all persons, react strongly to this misinformation. In its short existence, the Commission has already worked on over 150 cases for protection against discrimination, respecting the principle of integrity and independence in the exercise of its legal competencies.