State Department: Police arbitrariness, corruption and pressure in Bulgaria

The problems of corruption, police violence, freedom of speech and discrimination remain major problems in the protection of human rights in Bulgaria. This is clear from the annual report of the US State Department on the state of human rights in the countries of the world in 2023

“Significant human rights concerns included credible reports of: torture or cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment by or on behalf of the government; serious problems with the independence of the judiciary; serious government corruption; crime, violence or threats of violence motivated by anti-Semitism; and crimes involving violence or threats of violence directed at lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex persons,” the document said.

According to him, there were no significant changes in the human rights situation in Bulgaria during the year. “The government took measures to identify and punish officials who may have committed human rights violations, but these actions were often insufficient and impunity was a problem,” the report found.

A report by the “Bulgarian Helsinki Committee” (BHK) is cited, according to which every fourth detainee (27%) suffered violence during their arrest, and 24% were subjected to violence in a police station. BHK claims that prison guards and police officers are rarely punished and notes a lack of convictions or sanctions for perpetrators.

The US State Department report also mentions the case of the girl beaten by policemen during the protest against the BFS.

“The true extent of corruption at the highest levels of government remains hidden due to the high rate of acquittals in corruption cases,” the State Department said, citing reports by Transparency International, the Basel Institute for Governance and the European Commission.

In Reporters Without Borders’ 2023 World Press Freedom Index, intimidation by politicians, as well as administrative and judicial pressure against publishers and journalists, are a common practice in Bulgaria. A number of cases of pressure on journalists and the media are listed, including the case filed by “Lev Ins” against Mediapool.