site.btaUS State Department: Bulgaria Took Steps to Prosecute, Punish Human Rights Abuses, but Government Actions Were Insufficient, Impunity Was a Problem

Washington, DC,  March 31 (BTA) - According to the US State
Department's 2020 Country Report on Human Rights Practices
published on Tuesday, Bulgarian  "authorities took steps to
prosecute and punish officials who committed human rights
abuses, but government actions were insufficient, and impunity
was a problem".

In its report on Bulgaria, the US State Department calls
attention to concerning cases of "violent treatment by police;
arbitrary arrests; serious problems with judicial independence;
serious restrictions on free expression, including media
censorship, violence and threats of violence against
journalists, and corporate and political pressure on media,"
among others.

The report also notes that the Bulgarian government generally
protects the freedom of speech and of the press. "Concerns
persisted, however, that corporate and political pressure,
combined with the growing and nontransparent concentration of
media ownership and distribution networks, as well as government
 regulation of resources -- including EU funds -- and support
for media, gravely damaged media pluralism", the document reads.

According to the US State Department, "officials in all branches
 of government reportedly engaged in corrupt practices with
impunity.  There were reports of government corruption,
including bribery, conflict of interest, elaborate embezzlement
schemes, procurement violations, and influence trading.
   
There were no reports of political prisoners or detainees. There
 were no reports that the government or its agents committed
arbitrary or unlawful killings. "The constitution and law
provide for the right to a fair and public trial, and an
independent judiciary generally enforced this right," the
document reads.

The government did not restrict or disrupt access to the
internet or censor online content. There were no government
restrictions on academic freedom or cultural events. "The
constitution and law provide for the freedoms of peaceful
assembly and association, and the government mostly respected
these rights," the report points out.

RY/MT