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"Today's opening of the new arrest and probation service in Blagoevgrad confirms the aspiration of the Bulgarian state and, in particular, of the Ministry of Justice to meet modern standards in Europe for respecting the rights of detainees."

This was stated by the Deputy Minister of Justice, Emil Dechev, at the official opening of the site, stressing that the persons accused and remanded in custody are considered innocent until a conviction comes into force.

"It is important as a country to show that we respect the human personality and dignity of every single person, both the detained persons and the supervisory and security staff, who sometimes work under extremely difficult conditions," Dechev pointed out.

The relevant Deputy Minister recalled that our country has been repeatedly condemned for violations of Art.

3 of the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights because of the poor conditions in Bulgarian detention facilities.

A new arrest and probation office will be opened in Blagoevgrad

"I prefer the Bulgarian state to give money for new arrests, in which there are normal human conditions and respect for personal dignity, than for fines based on convictions of the court in Strasbourg," said Dechev and added that according to the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union , the right to personal dignity is one of the most important rights.

The official opening today was also attended by the deputy director general of the General Directorate for the Execution of Punishments (GDIN), Senior Commissioner Tsvetan Tsvetkov, the head of the Regional Service for the Execution of Punishments – Blagoevgrad Commissioner Milan Milanov, the mayor of the city Ilko Stoyanov, the chairman of Municipal Council Radoslav Taskov and others.

guests.

The remodeled premises in Blagoevgrad meet all the requirements laid down in the normative documents for the conditions and order in penitentiary institutions.

The funds for the repair, in the amount of BGN 1.6 million, come from the budget of the State Department of Internal Affairs.

Until now, the detention facilities in the city were located in the building of the OD of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and the probation service used premises provided by the Regional Administration.

The new detention center has the capacity to house up to 52 detainees.

The premises comply with international standards to ensure a minimum living area of ​​no less than 4 sq.m. for one person.

In each of them there is a private bathroom, access to direct daylight and artificial lighting, heating and the possibility of airing the room are provided.

There is also a bench and two rooms for staying outdoors.

The detention center also has a doctor's office.

Each employee in the new detention and probation office is provided with a separate office, rooms are provided and equipped for instruction, for working with offenders and for psychological assistance.

For years, the conditions in detention centers in our country have been criticized in a number of reports by national and international organizations.

Last year, a new arrest and probation service was opened in Dobrich, built with funds from the budget.

With the financial assistance of the Norwegian Financial Mechanism, a new detention center in Samoranovo and a new detention center and probation office in Petrich are to be built.

new arrest

probation

Blagoevgrad