site.btaUS Department of State Publishes 2017 Report on Human Rights Practices in Bulgaria

Washington, April 21 (BTA) - The US Department of State published Friday its Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2017.

The part about Bulgaria reads that this country's Central Election Commission did not find any major irregularities in the National Assembly elections, held last March. International observers considered the elections free and fair but noted some deficiencies, the report's executive summary reads.

 Civilian authorities maintained effective control over the security forces.

The most significant human rights issues included: harsh conditions in prisons and detention facilities; lack of judicial independence; corruption in all branches of government; trafficking in persons; and societal violence against ethnic minorities.

Authorities took steps to prosecute and punish officials in the security services and elsewhere who committed human rights abuses, but government actions were insufficient, and impunity was a problem, the US Department of State reports.