site.btaEuropean Court of Human Rights Requires Bulgaria to Address Poor Conditions in Prisons

European Court of Human Rights Requires Bulgaria to Address Poor Conditions in Prisons


Sofia, January 27 (BTA) - The European Court of Human Rights
(ECHR) on Tuesday gave Bulgaria 18 months to create effective
preventive and compensatory remedies for prisoners who wish to
challenge their detention conditions.

The judgment was made in the case of "Neshkov and Others v.
Bulgaria." The claimants say that their prison cells provide
only one square metre of space per person. Their beds are on
three levels and there are no bedsheets. The men also complain
of lack of heating, poor hygiene and lack of access to toilets.

EHCR noted that Bourgas Prison currently holds 885 convicts in a
building designed to accommodate a maximum of 371 persons.