site.btaCPT President Impressed with Efforts Bulgaria Undertakes to Solve Prison Problems

CPT President Impressed with Efforts Bulgaria Undertakes to Solve Prison Problems

Sofia, November 27 (BTA) - The President of the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CPT) Mykola Gnatovskyy said that the CPT is impressed with the efforts and activities Bulgaria has undertaken to address the long-standing problems in the penitentiary system, the Justice Ministry said in a press release.

Justice Minister Hristo Ivanov and Deputy Justice Minister Andrei Yankoulov met on Thursday with Gnatovskyy and CPT Executive Secretary Jeroen Schokkenbroek, who are in Bulgaria to attend Friday's meeting of the Standing Committee of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) hosted by Sofia.

The talks in the Justice Ministry discussed the implementation of CPT's recommendations and the current state of play of the issues pertaining to improving the conditions in prisons. Ivanov said that the Ministry is preparing a long-term policy on a sustainable and comprehensive prison reform. He said also that the changes made in the management of penitentiaries have yielded results while the measures for improving the conditions in prisons ensure that they have the minimum European standards.