Bulgaria Adopts Controversial Anti-Terrorism Law Limiting Rights of Civilians

Bulgarian lawmakers voted 133-5 in favor of a new anti-terrorism law which limits the rights of civilians in the event of a terror threat, according to local media.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — The Bulgarian Parliament has adopted a new anti-terrorism law which limits the rights of civilians in the event of a terror threat, local media reported on Thursday.

According to Blitz newspaper, the Bulgarian lawmakers voted 133-5 in favor of a controversial law, which enables armed forces and military to use force against civilians who show resistance or refusal to obey the law enforcement bodies in the event of a terror act.

The law also bans Bulgarians from moving to another place of residence, as well as to leave the country and visit certain places, sites and areas without the government's permission. It prohibits them from contacting certain persons, without permanent visits to the police station as well.

The law also enables policemen to enter the private property during conducting anti-terrorism operations, use private vehicles of civilians in case of necessity and limit the access to the Internet.

Under the law, people who do not fulfill the orders of the police are to be fined from 500 to 2,000 Levs (almost $280 —$1,120).

Europe has been pushed to urgently and extensively boost its safety and security measures over the past two weeks amid a wave of deadly attacks that has occurred in Europe, including a truck running over a crowd in France's Nice and a suicide bombing near an open-air music festival in Ansbach, a city in the German state of Bavaria.