January
RLI meeting in Plovdiv
25 January 2004
The RLI staff was on official meeting in Plovdiv in connection with caring out of a seminar on the Law on Religion in Bulgaria and used the opportunity to meet on a working lunch with the RLI members in the city. The future work of the RLI chapter in Plovdiv and potential projects were discussed during the lunch.
Seminar on the Law on Religion in Plovdiv
26 January 2004
 A seminar on the Law on Religion was carried out in the city of Plovdiv. The seminar was organized by RLI with the financial support of the Democracy Commission towards the US Embassy in Bulgaria . Representatives of different religions, law professionals, representatives of the local authority and police department, as well as journalists and NGO representatives, were present at the seminar.
February
Latcho Popov's visit to Portugal and France
3-10 February 2004
Latchezar Popov - Chairman of RLI and President of AE, was invited to take part at the Conference of Europartners in Portugal , where he was together with Christian professionals and businessmen, representing 28 European countries. He also used this opportunity to have a wonderful fellowship and meeting with our innkeeper in Portugal - Fernando Loja, who also took part in the last dinner at the Europartners Conference. On his way back from Portugal Latchezar spent an evening in Paris, France, where he met with our Christian colleagues there Bernard Biro, Nikolas and Samuel, who were encouraged and took decision to establish Advocates France and develop its activity not only in Paris but all over France.
Visit of Judge Eric G. Bruggink in Bulgaria
26 February - 10 March 2004
 For the period 26.02-10.03.2004 RLI was host and coordinator of the visit of Judge Eric G. Bruggink - Senior Judge, US Court of Federal Claims, organized as a result of a mutual program between Advocates International, Rule of Law Institute and the Southwest University "Neofit Rilsky" in Blagoevgrad. During his stay, Judge Bruggink had meetings with representatives of different state institutions, Associations of Judges, Prosecutors and Investigators as well as a visit in the Southwest University "Neofit Rilsky" in Blagoevgrad.
March
Seminar on integration of faith and profession
1-2 March 2004
A two-day seminar on integration of faith and profession was carried out in the office of RLI in Sofia , with the participation of RLI members. Speaker at this seminar was Judge Bruggink - Senior Judge, US Court of Federal Claims.
Seminar on the Law on Religion in Varna
18 March 2004
The last seminar on the Law on Religion, organized by RLI with the financial support of the Democracy Commission towards the US Embassy in Bulgaria, was carried out in the city of Varna. During his visit in Varna, Mr. Popov, Chairman of RLI, met with the associated members of the RLI chapter in the city.
Opened Doors Project
23 March 2004
The first meeting on the RLI project "Opened Doors" was carried out in the office of the Institute in Sofia.
Latchezar Popov's trip to Albania
29-30 March 2004
 Latchezar Popov - President of the Rule of Law Institute in Bulgaria , was on a two-day official trip to Albania as part of a delegation on government and business issues. The invitation came from the Bulgarian Chamber of Trade and the head of this delegation was the Bulgarian Minister of Transport. Latchezar Popov used this opportunity to have a meeting with the Advocates Europe' innkeeper in Albania - Fatmir Lacej and the group of Christian lawyers in Tirana.
April
Business Breakfast
6 April 2004
 RLI organized the current business breakfast in Sofia , "Paparatsi" Restaurant. Speaker at the event was Nina Pavlova - Chairman of the Council of Managers of the "Future for Everyone" association.
General Meeting of RLI Members 18 April 2004
A general meeting of the RLI members was carried out in the office of the Institute. The meeting was with the participation of a professional psychologist, who carried out a psychological test for team work to the attendees.
Visit of Mr. Latchezar Popov in Germany
21-24 April 2004
 Mr. Latchezar Popov , in his quality of President of AE, was on a visit in Berlin , Germany on 21-24 of April, 2004 where he met our German colleague and brother in Christ Norbert Kirsch and his wife Jutta. Latchezar Popov was introduced to their group of Christian lawyers "Christ und Recht e.V" that unites over 40 people and has a history of 10 years, covering several big cities in the country. Mr. Popov presented in front of his German colleagues the vision and the activity of Advocates Europe, making a way for the natural future partnership between the two organizations that share similar principles and vision.
May
Human Rights School for Future Decision Makers in Dubrovnik, Croatia
2-17 May 2004
Our young colleague from RLI - Ivo Tzenov was in Dubrovnik , Croatia , where he attended a Human Rights School for Future Decision Makers. This Summer School was organized by the Balkan Human Rights Network, of which Bulgarian RLI is a member.
Business Breakfast
4 May 2004
Guests and speakers at the Business Breakfast, organized by RLI on My 4 th , were representatives from "Habitat For Humanity - Sofia" - international Christian NGO for building homes for needy people. The speakers introduced the attendees at the business breakfast with the strategies and the activities of their organization and made an appeal for future cooperation.
Third Conference of Advocates Europe for lawyers from the Balkans
19-21 May 2004
 The Third Conference of Advocates Europe for lawyers from the Balkans was held in Nis , Serbia and Montenegro , from 19th to 21st of May 2004. The title of the conference was " Advocates Europe and Balkan Network. Common goals. Challenges. Future planning ", with subtitle "Human Rights. Implementation and Protection of Human Rights and Freedom of Religion before the court in Strasbourg ". Representatives from Serbia & Montenegro , Croatia , Bulgaria , Bosnia & Herzegovina , Albania , as well as USA , gathered together to be encouraged and to find a way to work together in the region.
Interns from Peru and USA in the office of RLI
28 May - 4 August 2004
 We had two students from Peru and USA , coming for their summer internship as volunteers in the office of RLI, Bulgaria and Advocates Europe during this year. We met on May 28 th Juan Victor Seminario, who is a Peruvian, studding first year International Relations with a sequence in Leadership in Claremont McKenna College, California, USA . On June 16 th we met Milli Kanani, who is in her third year (junior year) at Claremont McKenna, with major Philosophy, Politics, and Economics, with a sequence in Human Rights, Genocide, and the Holocaust. Juan Victor and Milli helped with the work in the office, exchanging experience and building relationship.
June
Peacemaker Seminar in Burgas
9-10 June 2004
 Mr. Chip Zimmer - member of the Board of Directors of Advocates International and the Director of International Ministries of Peacemaker Ministries, was in Bulgaria on 7-11 June this year and visited the town of Burgas , where he led the first level course of the Peacemaker Seminar. The Peacemaker Seminar was presented in one of the biggest Pentecostal churches in the city and had 100 attendees during the first session and 60 attendees during the second one. The pastor of this church, Ilcho Eftimov, oversees another 50 churches in the region and is part of the Pentecostal Assembly of Bulgaria. He was very interested in the seminar and there may be further opportunities to develop a ministry of peacemaking in his church and the churches under his supervision.
Building Day for Lawyers and RLI Members
12 June 2004
 The second Saturday from June was determined as a "building day" for lawyers and RLI members, willing to work as volunteers at the construction site of the first house in Bulgaria , to be built through the project of "Habitat for Humanity - Sofia " - international Christian NGO for building homes for needy people. Several members of RLI took part in the initiative.
Business Breakfast 22 June 2004
At the organized by RLI Business Breakfast on June 22 nd were presented several international and Bulgarian organizations and more that 20 people took part in the event, including two Fulbright scholars and our two interns from Peru and USA . The speaker was the founder of "Mission Salvation" - Christian organization for work with prisoners in Bulgaria , who presented in front of the attendees the goals and activities of their mission and the powerful testimonies from their work in prisons.
BHRN meeting in Saraevo
24-27 June 2004
Latchezar Popov - Chairman of the RLI-Bulgaria and President of Advocates Europe, was invited to take part in a meeting of representatives from five Balkan nations in Saraevo , Bosnia & Herzegovina , organized by the Balkan Human Rights Network. On this meeting was discussed the future preparation and issuing of a Booklet on the rights of the citizens and police, giving guide-lights on the relationship between NGSs and Police, that is one of the projects, on which RLI-Bulgaria is working at the moment.
July
Business Breakfast
6 July
RLI organized the current business breakfast in Sofia , "Paparatsi" Restaurant. Speaker at the event was Krasimir Momchev - Chairman of the Bulgarian Christian Coalition.
European Meeting of Lawyers, Judges and Church Leaders in Europe
9-11 July 2004
 On 9-11 July in Bulgaria was held the European Meeting of Lawyers, Judges and Church Leaders in Europe, focused on discussing the long term goal of working more effectively to protect and strengthen religious freedom in Europe , as well as building relationships and mutual understanding between people. The organizers of this event were Advocates Europe, the European Evangelical Alliance and the European Baptist Federation. We had 11 people from UK , Germany , France , Serbia & Montenegro and Bulgaria that took part in the meeting.
Opened Doors Project
13 July 2004
 Meeting on the RLI project "Opened Doors" was carried out in the office of the Institute in Sofia . Speaker at this meeting was Mr. Rasovsky - chief editor of the "God's Word" magazine.
Project "Booklet on Rights of Citizens and Police"
22 July 2004
Meeting on the project "Booklet on Rights of Citizens and Police" was carried out in the office of the Institute. This project is part of a joint project of RLI and the Balkan Human Rights Network, in the sphere of police and civil society.
August
Bulgarian Orthodox Church and the European Court for HR in Strasbourg
August 2004
 As of August this year RLI was actively involved in the preparation of the claims in front of the European Court for HR in Strasbourg in protection of the rights of the affected priests and citizens as a result of the battle between the two Synods in the Bulgarian Orthodox Church. At the end of July this year the religious freedom in Bulgaria was heavily violated as on 21-22 July, due to a prosecutor's order, the Police by force took hold on 250 orthodox temples in cities throughout the country, possessed by the alternative synod, arresting the priests. This was a culmination of the battle in the Bulgarian Orthodox Church, complicated additionally through the new Law on Religion, that last year reached even the murder of one orthodox priest.
RLI project "Pro-bone legal help"
August 2004
As of August this year was announced and promoted the RLI initiative of bringing together and enabling "like-minded Christian lawyers to provide legal and spiritual help to the poor, the homeless and the helpless, as the scripture commands, Proverbs: 31:9".
Meeting of RLI chapter in Burgas
17-18 August 2004
 During his visit in Burgas on 17 and 18 August this year, Mr. Latchezar Popov- Chairman of RLI, led a meeting of the RLI members in the city of Burgas , encouraging them and giving them strategy for future development.
September
Official Promotion of the Booklet on Rights of Citizens And Police
23 September 2004
 On 23 September was the official promotion of the Booklet on Rights of Citizens and Police, which is part of a joint project of RLI and the Balkan Human Rights Network in the sphere of police and civil society. On Sept 22nd Mr. Latchezar Popov - Chairman of RLI and coordinator of the project, was invited as guest in one of the most popular TV channel in Bulgaria, from where 1million people heard about the booklet, as well as for Micah 6:8. Wide audience with participation of the Ministry of Interior, journalists and NGO's representatives was at the promotion.
Meeting of RLI chapter in Plovdiv
24 September 2004
 Our members from the RLI chapter in Plovdiv reported about the meeting of the chapter, carried out on 24 September.
Women's Meetings Project
27 September 2004
On 27 September started the new project of RLI - "Women's Meetings", led by our colleague Emilia Ketibova. Young women-lawyers were encouraged how to live their faith in practice through the law profession.
October
2004 Annual Conference of Peacemakers Ministries
30 September - 03 October, 2004
Mr. Latchezar Popov, in his quality of Chairman of the RLI-Bulgaria and President of Advocates Europe, took part at the 2004 Annual Conference of Peacemakers Ministries, carried out on September 30th - October 3rd in Atlanta , GA.
Certificate of Recognition for RLI
6 October 2004
 On 6 October 2004 was the official ceremony, on which the Democracy Commission of the United States Embassy - Sofia, bestowed a Certificate of Recognition on the Rule of Law Institute - Bulgaria , recognizing that "RLI (Sofia) has received support from the Commission to monitor the implementation of the new Creeds Act and to increase public awareness of religious rights".
Luis Palau Evangelistic Outreach in Bulgaria
14 October 2004
Representatives from RLI office were on an official meeting with the coordination committee for the evangelical outreach in November 2004, organized by Luis Palau Evangelistic Association and the Union of Evangelical Churches in Bulgaria . RLI has a special role in the coordination of the evangelistic events for lawyers, to be organized as part of the whole outreach.
2004 Global Convocation
25-31 October 2004
Group of Bulgarian Christian lawyers, - representatives of RLI-Bulgaria, together with other Christian lawyers from more that 100 nations around the globe, took part in the 2004 Global Convocation, co-hosted by Advocates International and the Christian Legal Society USA on October 26-31 at the McLean Hilton Hotel in McLean, Virginia.
November
Luis Palau Evangelistic Outreach in Bulgaria
1 1-18 November 2004
Evangelistic programme, organized by Luids Palau Evangelical Association together with the the Bulgarian Evangelical Alliance, took place in November 2004.
RLI had a very specific role in the coordination of the evangelistic events for jurists, who were actively involved in the whole event. The Chairman of RLI - Latchezar Popov participated as a representative of the Christian jurists in Bulgaria in the official dinners for jurists and politicians, organized in Plovdiv (11 November) and in Sofia (15 and 18 November), where the main speakers were representatives of Luis Palau Evangelical Association form England . During his visit in Plovdiv on 11-12 November Latchezar Popov organized a common meeting and an official lunch with the associated members of RLI in the city as well as a meeting with the district director of Plovdiv in relation to ideas and proposals for future joint activities.
Business breakfast
23 November
RLI organized its last business-breakfast for the year 2004 in the restaurant Dublin, Sofia . The speaker was Dimitar Gotchev - an ex Constitutional judge in Bulgaria and ex judge in the European Court in Strasbourg .
December
Common meeting with the members of RLI
7 December 2004
The last meeting of the members of RLI for the year 2004 was held in the office of RLI in Sofia . New members of the Institute were invited, those who joined the Institute as a result of the evangelistic campaigns of Luis Palau Evangelical Association in November.
Christmas party of RLI
14 December 2004
In honour of its members, friends and partners, RLI organized a Christmas party which took place in the office of the Institute.
Draft law on religious freedom and legal status of religious communities in Kosovo
21 December 2004
 Latchezar Popov, as a Chairman of RLI and President of Advocates Europe, together with a delegation of AE, with representatives from Bulgaria, Albania, Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina, met representatives of the Parliament and the Government in Kosovo in relation to the Draft law on religious communities which is being discussed recently in Kosovo and is considered to be discriminatory and repressive. As a result of the meeting the authorities agreed to work together with ?? in relation to the discussions of the above-mentioned project till the midst of January. AE should present its official statement regarding the Draft law.
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