22 nomination submissions and 15 500 votes for the Public Choice Award at the Bulgarian Helsinki Committee Annual Awards for contribution to human rights

Theodora Zaharieva, founder of the Center for the Protection of Rights in Health Care was awarded the Human of the Year Award 2009 at the Bulgarian Helsinki Committee Annual Awards for contribution to human rights.
The Ceremony was held today, on the international day of human rights, the 10 December, in Sofia.

“Theodora and the Center have been successful representing their clients in cases of significant public value against state authorities, and their victories in court benefited thousands of people, winning thousands of leva in compensation for damages. The cases concern medical malpractice, medical care denial, and inadequate medical equipment, the authorities’ failure to introduce legislation that would guarantee the right to adequate health care and to provide medications. The Center’s litigation activities include groundbreaking class actions that aim at providing protection on a large scale to particular groups of patients. Among these are lawsuits against pharmaceutical corporations for damage to health caused by medical research. The Center’s work combines the true human rights approach and the conviction that the people should have control over their human rights, that…