April 23 (SeeNews) - Corruption in all branches of government and lack of judicial independence are among the most significant human rights issues in Bulgaria, according to an annual report published by the US Department of State.
"The constitution and law provide for an independent judiciary, but corruption, inefficiency, and a lack of accountability continued to be pervasive problems. Public trust in the judicial system remained extremely low because of the perception that magistrates were susceptible to political pressure and rendered unequal justice," the 2017 Human Rights Practices report reads.
While the law provides criminal penalties for corruption by officials, the government did not implement the law effectively, and officials in all branches of government reportedly engaged in corrupt practices with impunity.
Corrupt practices included bribery, conflict of interest, embezzlement schemes, procurement violations, and influence trading.
Concerns persisted that corporate and political pressure combined with the growing and non-transparent concentration of media ownership, as well as government regulation of resources and support for the media, gravely damaged media pluralism.
Harsh conditions in prisons and detention facilities, trafficking in persons and societal violence against ethnic minorities were also among the main human rights issues in Bulgaria last year, according to the report.