Damyana Veleva is a correspondent for RFE/RL's Bulgarian Service. She graduated from the University of Heidelberg and the Free University of Berlin.
As Bulgaria's parliament passes a ban on "LGBT propaganda" in schools, Ivan, a teacher and openly gay man, fears for his future -- and for that of his students.
The Mystery of the Bulgarian Voices is a Bulgarian female vocal choir that received global recognition and a Grammy award for best traditional folk album in 1990. Decades later, it continues to bring traditional Bulgarian folk songs to a global audience.
Controversy continues over the methods used to remove Sofia's Red Army monument and whether it will be restored as promised.
A Roma activist in Bulgaria has won a victory against a far-right party that had used its website to post anti-Roma material. The party was fined and told not to post such material in the future but not to take down the incriminating items, highlighting Bulgaria's tepid attempt to fight hate speech.
A key highway project in Bulgaria is nearly complete with only a small section remaining to be constructed. But that sector is near one of the country's most biodiverse regions and local residents, backed by ecological activists, fear it will damage not only its unique nature but their livelihoods.
The killing of a woman in Bulgaria has reignited a debate about the country's domestic violence law, which rights activists and legal experts say desperately needs modernizing and has, activists warn, resulted in the deaths of dozens of women.
Under changes to election laws, extremists and other fringe candidates dominate the debates ahead of a snap poll on April 2, and the head of Bulgarian TV has even apologized to viewers for being forced to listen to "outright nonsense."
When Manol Peykov heard that Russian bombing of Ukraine's energy infrastructure had left millions without power, the Bulgarian organized a crowdfunding campaign to buy more than 100 generators for impacted parts of Ukraine.
Many Ukrainians fleeing the war have sought refuge in nearby Bulgaria. But critics say the government's support for refugees has been chaotic and insubstantial, meaning that highly skilled workers and professionals have no other options but to take menial work.
Cards Against Bulgarianness, a version of Cards Against Humanity, an adult party game, has been denied a license by the country's Patent Office, saying it contradicts "good manners and public order." The creators say the authorities' stonewalling is due to a crisis in national confidence.
Officials including Prime Minister Kiril Petkov channel local resentment to relocate Ukrainian families away from the Bulgarian Riviera, baffling displaced victims of Russia's invasion and prompting some to return home despite the risks.
Dozens of Bulgarians are fighting on the side of Ukraine against invading Russian forces. However, an investigation by RFE/RL's Bulgarian Service finds that it could be nothing more than a social-media hoax.
The bloody beating of a doctor by a notorious anti-vaxxer in Bulgaria -- where COVID-19 infections are high and vaccination rates low -- has shocked the country after video of the attack went viral.
Born to Bulgarian and German parents and drawn to Turkey "because I grew up between two cultures," expat singer Liana Georgieva puts her LGBT activism to a musical test.
