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Bulgaria Bulgaria: Child Soldier Global Report 2001 From the Coalition to Stop the Use of Child Soldiers According to information provided by Bulgaria to the Committee on the Rights of the Child, all Bulgarian men are subject to military service after turning 18 and the law does not provide for the possibility of accepting volunteers in the army at a lower age. June 12, 2001 Bulgaria: Landmine Monitor Report 2000 Key developments since March 1999: From April to October 1999, Bulgaria completed demining of its territory, including the borders with Turkey, Greece, and Macedonia, destroying 17,197 mines from 76 minefields. In 1999 Bulgaria revealed the size of its AP mine stockpile for the first time (885,872), and began the destruction program, eliminating 107,417 mines between September 1999 and April 2000. It intends to complete destruction in 2000. August 1, 2000 Bulgaria: Money Talks -- Arms Dealing with Human Rights Abusers Bulgaria has earned a reputation as an anything-goes weapons bazaar where Kalashnikov assault rifles, mortars, antitank mines, ammunition,explosives and other items are available for a price — no matter who the buyers are or how they might use the deadly wares. In the 1990s Bulgaria has been a weapons source for armed forces in Iraq, the former Yugoslavia, Angola, and Rwanda, among other countries. HRW Index No.: D1104 April 1, 1999 Purchase online Children of Bulgaria Police Violence and Arbitrary Confinement Children in Bulgaria are often deprived of their basic rights by police, the very people who are supposed to protect them. After conducting a fact-finding mission to Bulgaria in the spring of 1996, Human Rights Watch concludes that street children are often subjected to physical abuse and other mistreatment by police, both on the street and in police lockups, and by skinhead gangs, who brutally attack the children because of their Roma (Gypsy) ethnic identity. Once detained by police, children fall victim to gross procedural inadequacies in the juvenile justice system in Bulgaria. HRW Index No.: 1-56432-200-9 September 1, 1996 Children of Bulgeria Police Violence and Arbitrary Confinement Children in Bulgaria are often deprived of their basic rights by police, the very people who are supposed to protect them. After conducting a fact-finding mission to Bulgaria in the spring of 1996, Human Rights Watch concludes that street children are often subjected to physical abuse and other mistreatment by police, both on the street and in police lock-ups, and by skinhead gangs, who brutally attack the children because of their Roma (Gypsy) ethnic identity. Once detained by police, children fall victim to gross procedural inadequacies in the juvenile justice system in Bulgaria. Through administrative bodies, known as Local Commissions for Combating Juvenile Delinquency (ALocal Commission@), children may be sentenced to confinement in one of eleven Labor Education Schools (the Bulgarian equivalent of juvenile reform institutions) in Bulgaria, for their education. The practice of confining children to these essentially penal institutions, without due process, violates international law. Further, the conditions in Labor Education Schools, where children may be confined for up to three years, are notoriously harsh and do little to advance the development of the child=s overall wellbeing, and do much to impede it. This report will address the subjects of police mistreatment and abuse of street children, and the Labor Education School system in Bulgaria. September 1, 1996 Download PDF, 746 KB, 199 pgs Printer friendly version Increasing Violence Against Roma in Bulgaria Racism and racially motivated violence against the Rima (Gypsy) minority in Bulgaria has escalated dramatically since 1994. The violence ranges from police torture to mob attacks — including violent attacks by guards employed by private security firms. Local officials are often implicated and it is very rare that those who perpetrate acts of mob violence against Rima, or the police and local officials who tolerate or acquiesce in such violence, are subject to criminal prosecution. HRW Index No.: Do August 1, 1993 Decommunization in Bulgaria Initial attempts to purge former Communists from public life in Bulgaria were relatively weak when compared to similar laws passed in the former Czechoslovakia or the former German Democratic Republic. Efforts to initiate a decommunization program gained momentum, however, after the election victory of the Union of Democratic Forces in October 1991. This report discusses the various draft "lustration" or decommunization provisions and laws that have been considered by the Bulgarian National Assembly, as well as the Constitutional Court's decisions relating to these laws. HRW Index No.: D514 August 1, 1993 Police Violence Against Gypsies On June 29, 1992, police surrounded a Gypsy neighborhood in Pazarszhik, a town 120 km. east of Sofia, and attacked its inhabitants, conducted abusive house searches, damaged property and confiscated possessions. Many Gypsies suffered serious injuries as well as significant property damage as a result of the police conduct. HRW Index No.: D505 April 1, 1993 The Gypsies of Bulgaria (From our " Destroying Ethnic Identity Series") Despite the political changes that have occurred in Bulgaria since Todor Zhivkov's resignation in November 1989, Gypsies continue to be the targets of discrimination, as they have been throughout the country's history. The disparate treatment they receive is reflected in housing, education and the work place. Further, the government restricts Gypsies' political activity by denying them the right to form political parties based on ethnicity. Government officials at both the national and local levels rarely address their problems, and more frequently are critical of their behavior in ways that fuel bigotry and hatred. In spite of these hardships, Gypsies display a remarkable resiliency and remain hopeful that one day their human rights situation will improve. HRW Index No.: 0316 June 1, 1991
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