Eleven cases of abuse of authority and unwarranted violence have been recorded in the Interior Ministry system so far this year, but no torture has been reported. In one case, five police officers were dismissed over abuse of authority during the arrest of a citizen.
These findings were reported by Yotko Yotov, head of the Disciplinary Section at the Interior Ministry, at a press conference last Thursday.
Thirty-two similar cases were recorded in 2000 and 40 cases in 2001. The violations were committed by a total of 75 Interior Ministry officers, 25 of whom were later dismissed over breach of discipline. The case files were transferred to the prosecuting authorities, Yotov said.
The Interior Ministry has drawn up a review of cases mentioned in a report by the Bulgarian Helsinki Committee (BHC) and quoted in a human rights country report on Bulgaria for 2001 released by the US Department of State, Interior Ministry spokesperson Marusia Toshkova announced.
The review will be submitted to the US authorities because some of the observations concerning the above-mentioned cases were considered inaccurate or not corresponding to the truth.
The press conference was called to provide information at the end of a seminar on the human rights aspect of police work. The seminar was organised by the Assistance Centre for Torture Survivors (ACET, a Bulgarian NGO), the Interior Ministry Press Office, and the National Police Service Directorate.
The seminar concluded that human rights violations by law enforcers were isolated instances rather than a widespread practice, Toshkova said. “Our society is still learning to be democratic,” she added.
According to ACET Chairperson Vesselka Makarinova, various initiatives were put forward during the seminar. One of them was to employ the experience of the joint work of the organisation and the Interior Ministry in practices involving other institutions as well.
Real steps had been taken to ensure that citizens’ rights were protected, said Colonel Pavlin Dimitrov, deputy director of the National Police Service Directorate. The police arrest warrants form was improved in March 2002. The document is accompanied by a special declaration form which, when filled out, guarantees protection against police violence and respect for the rights of the arrested person.
Medical checkups are provided to arrested persons before pre-trial custody on a mandatory basis, and this is seen as yet another barrier to police violence. The prosecuting and court authorities exercised control over investigative proceedings, said Specialised Investigations Service Deputy Director Roumen Andreev.
“Police misconduct and inadequate prison conditions marred the criminal justice system,” the Bulgarian Helsinki Committee wrote in its last report on Bulgaria.
According to BHC, Roma were beaten by police in at least five cases in 2001, including a June 26 assault at a Pleven police station in which a Roma suspect was allegedly tortured with electricity.
“Human rights groups continued to receive credible reports of the excessive use of force by members of the police and security services,” BHC wrote. Rules of engagement allowing the use of deadly force to stop unarmed suspects fleeing provided part of the explanation. Disturbing incidents included the death of an unarmed 21-year-old army conscript, shot repeatedly in the chest by a military police officer on July 22, the killing of a 16-year-old girl in Sofia by an off-duty police officer on January 31, and the November 2000 death of a 16-year-old Iraqi boy, shot by border guards as he tried to enter Bulgaria.
These findings were reported by Yotko Yotov, head of the Disciplinary Section at the Interior Ministry, at a press conference last Thursday.
Thirty-two similar cases were recorded in 2000 and 40 cases in 2001. The violations were committed by a total of 75 Interior Ministry officers, 25 of whom were later dismissed over breach of discipline. The case files were transferred to the prosecuting authorities, Yotov said.
The Interior Ministry has drawn up a review of cases mentioned in a report by the Bulgarian Helsinki Committee (BHC) and quoted in a human rights country report on Bulgaria for 2001 released by the US Department of State, Interior Ministry spokesperson Marusia Toshkova announced.
The review will be submitted to the US authorities because some of the observations concerning the above-mentioned cases were considered inaccurate or not corresponding to the truth.
The press conference was called to provide information at the end of a seminar on the human rights aspect of police work. The seminar was organised by the Assistance Centre for Torture Survivors (ACET, a Bulgarian NGO), the Interior Ministry Press Office, and the National Police Service Directorate.
The seminar concluded that human rights violations by law enforcers were isolated instances rather than a widespread practice, Toshkova said. “Our society is still learning to be democratic,” she added.
According to ACET Chairperson Vesselka Makarinova, various initiatives were put forward during the seminar. One of them was to employ the experience of the joint work of the organisation and the Interior Ministry in practices involving other institutions as well.
Real steps had been taken to ensure that citizens’ rights were protected, said Colonel Pavlin Dimitrov, deputy director of the National Police Service Directorate. The police arrest warrants form was improved in March 2002. The document is accompanied by a special declaration form which, when filled out, guarantees protection against police violence and respect for the rights of the arrested person.
Medical checkups are provided to arrested persons before pre-trial custody on a mandatory basis, and this is seen as yet another barrier to police violence. The prosecuting and court authorities exercised control over investigative proceedings, said Specialised Investigations Service Deputy Director Roumen Andreev.
“Police misconduct and inadequate prison conditions marred the criminal justice system,” the Bulgarian Helsinki Committee wrote in its last report on Bulgaria.
According to BHC, Roma were beaten by police in at least five cases in 2001, including a June 26 assault at a Pleven police station in which a Roma suspect was allegedly tortured with electricity.
“Human rights groups continued to receive credible reports of the excessive use of force by members of the police and security services,” BHC wrote. Rules of engagement allowing the use of deadly force to stop unarmed suspects fleeing provided part of the explanation. Disturbing incidents included the death of an unarmed 21-year-old army conscript, shot repeatedly in the chest by a military police officer on July 22, the killing of a 16-year-old girl in Sofia by an off-duty police officer on January 31, and the November 2000 death of a 16-year-old Iraqi boy, shot by border guards as he tried to enter Bulgaria.
