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

US State Department report: Bulgaria's fight against corruption "insufficient"

Photo: Facebook/ U.S. Department of State

In its annual 2022 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices, released Monday, the US State Department  says that the Bulgarian government's actions to tackle corruption and disregard for human rights are "insufficient". 
"Authorities took steps to identify, investigate, prosecute, and punish officials who committed human rights abuses and corruption, but government actions were insufficient, and impunity was a problem," the report says.
Significant human rights issues included cruel or degrading treatment by authorities, including of detainees, migrants, and displaced and institutionalized children; arbitrary arrest; serious problems with the independence of the judiciary; serious government corruption; crimes involving violence or threats of violence targeting members of the Roma community; and crimes involving violence or threats of violence targeting lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and intersex persons.
Former Prime Minister Boyko Borissov's detention was given as an example of illegal arrest, BNR correspondent Mladen Petkov reports.
A high level of political and economic influence over the media combined with high levels of concentration of ownership is noted. In publishing the reports for all countries, Secretary of State Anthony Blinken pointed out "the individual reports cover 198 countries and territories, providing factual, objective information based on credible reports of the events that occurred throughout 2022."



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

Opposition calls for occupation of parliament

"We Continue the Change" (PP) party called for a protest and blockade of the National Assembly building to stop the adoption of the budget for next year. The MPs are discussing the budget at first reading. PP received support for..

published on 11/21/25 2:04 PM

Foreign students in Bulgaria have more than doubled for 10 years

The share of foreign students in Bulgaria has more than doubled in the last decade. In 2013, they were nearly 4 percent while in 2025 their number reaches 9% of active students. This is indicated by the annual Ranking of Higher..

published on 11/21/25 1:49 PM

Bulgaria has coordinated a major international operation against antiquities trafficking

Over 3,000 antiques worth more than EUR 100 million have been seized in an international operation, coordinated from Sofia, the Greek police reported.  One of the largest antiquities smuggling networks has been dismantled with the support of Europol..

published on 11/21/25 11:01 AM