Ill treatment and torture of prisoners, minority discrimination and 'inhuman and degrading' treatment in care homes are some of the persisting problems in Bulgaria, Amnesty International said in its latest 2006 report.

The country has achieved sufficient progress in creating an efficient anti-discrimination legislation like the new law giving equal education rights to Bulgarian and Roma children. The report said that in its attempts to comply with EU standards Bulgaria has been more respective to rights of convicts and has taken active measures to combat human trafficking.

Despite this progress, Amnesty International remains critical, expressing its concerns about ill treatment by law officials, minority discrimination and poor living conditions for mentally disabled people.

The report lists several cases in which Bulgaria has been put on trial by the European Court of Human Rights for poor detention treatment and violation of liberty rights. Amnesty International said minority discrimination in Bulgaria took the form of forced evictions and school segregation.

The organisation described the treatment in Bulgarian care houses as degrading. The quality of service is incompatible with international standards and patients are subjects of physical and mental abuse. The food remains insufficient and the institutions fail to provide a 'life in dignity' for its patients.