Podcast in English
Text size
Bulgarian National Radio © 2025 All Rights Reserved

Council of Europe anti-torture Committee: Bulgaria’s authorities are not doing enough for people with mental illnesses

Photo: archive

The Council of Europe’s Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Unhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CPT) has issued a public statement on Bulgaria today, BNR correspondent Angelina Piskova reported from Brussels. The statement addresses the persistent lack of implementation of long-standing recommendations of the CPT concerning the situation of persons placed in social care institutions and psychiatric hospitals in Bulgaria.

“The phenomenon of physical ill-treatment of social care residents and patients with psychiatric disorders by staff has been a matter of long-standing concern for the Council of Europe’s Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Unhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment. Visit after visit, CPT delegations have recorded complains about persons having been slapped, punched and kicked by the staff in social care homes and psychiatric hospitals. Despite raising the issue of deliberate physical ill-treatment on numerous occasions, the Bulgarian authorities have not taken the necessary measures to eradicate this totally unacceptable practice”, the Committee points out in its statement. For more than 25 years, CTT delegations have repeatedly noticed cases of physical violence, lack of a decent environment, staff shortage. etc.

 


Последвайте ни и в Google News Showcase, за да научите най-важното от деня!
Listen to the daily news from Bulgaria presented in "Bulgaria Today" podcast, available in Spotify.

More from category

Sofia Airport is now officially renamed to Vasil Levski Airport

Sofia Airport has been officially renamed to Vasil Levski Airport at a solemn ceremony on February 19 . The ceremony was attended by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Transport Grozdan Karadjov, CEO of the airport operator “SOF Connect” Jesus..

published on 2/19/25 3:03 PM

A wounded Bulgarian citizen remains among the Hamas hostages in Gaza

Bulgarian diplomacy, without showing off, is using its influence to free the Bulgarian citizens who are hostages of Hamas in Gaza. We thanked the Bulgarian Ambassador Slavena Gergova and the EU Ambassador to Israel Dimitar Tsanchev, the Bulgarian..

published on 2/19/25 2:51 PM

Premier Zhelyzakov: The governance program is ready and will be reviewed in the next days

"The governance program will be discussed later this week at a meeting of the Council of Ministers, and I hope it will address all questions and expectations from the public'', announced Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov. He also commented on the..

published on 2/19/25 12:07 PM