Children of Bulgaria
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CHILDREN OF BULGARIA POLICE VIOLENCE AND ARBITRARY CONFINEMENT Human Rights Watch Children===s Rights Project Human Rights Watch/Helsinki Human Rights Watch New York AAA Washington AAA London AAA Brussels Copyright 8 September 1996 by Human Rights Watch. All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America. ISBN 1-56432-200-9 Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 96-77825 Cover photograph by Yodon Thonden. Street children asleep by Central Railway Station in Sofia, Bulgaria. Human Rights Watch Children's Rights Project The Human Rights Watch Children=s Rights Project was established in 1994 to monitor and promote the human rights of children around the world. Lois Whitman is the director; Yodon Thonden is counsel; and Arvind Ganesan, Mina Samuels, and Lee Tucker are consultants. Human Rights Watch/Helsinki Human Rights Watch/Helsinki was established in 1978 to monitor and promote domestic and international compliance with the human rights provisions of the 1975 Helsinki Accords. It is affiliated with the International Helsinki Federation for Human Rights, which is based in Vienna, Austria. Holly Cartner is the executive director; Rachel Denber is the Moscow office director; Erika Dailey, Christopher Panico and Diane Paul are research associates; Alexander Petrov is Assistant Moscow office director; Ivan Lupis and Maxine Marcus are research assistants; Malcolm Hawkes, Shira Robinson and Emily Shaw are associates. Jonathan Fanton is the chair of the advisory committee and Alice Henkin is vice chair. Addresses for Human Rights Watch 485 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10017-6104 Tel: (212) 972-8400, Fax: (212) 972-0905, E-mail: [email protected] 1522 K Street, N.W., #910, Washington, DC 20005-1202 Tel: (202) 371-6592, Fax: (202) 371-0124, E-mail: [email protected] 33 Islington High Street, N1 9LH London, UK Tel: (171) 713-1995, Fax: (171) 713-1800, E-mail: [email protected] 15 Rue Van Campenhout, 1000 Brussels, Belgium Tel: (2) 732-2009, Fax: (2) 732-0471, E-mail: [email protected] Website Address: http://www.hrw.org Gopher Address://gopher.humanrights.org:5000 Listserv address: To subscribe to the list, send an e-mail message to [email protected] with "subscribe hrw-news" in the body of the message (leave the subject line blank). HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH Human Rights Watch conducts regular, systematic investigations of human rights abuses in some seventy countries around the world. Our reputation for timely, reliable disclosures has made us an essential source of information for those concerned with human rights. We address the human rights practices of governments of all political stripes, of all geopolitical alignments, and of all ethnic and religious persuasions. Human Rights Watch defends freedom of thought and expression, due process and equal protection of the law, and a vigorous civil society; we document and denounce murders, disappearances, torture, arbitrary imprisonment, discrimination, and other abuses of internationally recognized human rights. Our goal is to hold governments accountable if they transgress the rights of their people. Human Rights Watch began in 1978 with the founding of its Helsinki division. Today, it includes five divisions covering Africa, the Americas, Asia, the Middle East, as well as the signatories of the Helsinki accords. It also includes three collaborative projects on arms transfers, children's rights, and women's rights. It maintains offices in New York, Washington, Los Angeles, London, Brussels, Moscow, Dushanbe, Rio de Janeiro, and Hong Kong. Human Rights Watch is an independent, nongovernmental organization, supported by contributions from private individuals and foundations worldwide. It accepts no government funds, directly or indirectly. The staff includes Kenneth Roth, executive director; Cynthia Brown, program director; Holly J. Burkhalter, advocacy director; Barbara Guglielmo, finance and administration director; Robert Kimzey, publications director; Jeri Laber, special advisor; Lotte Leicht, Brussels office director; Juan Méndez, general counsel; Susan Osnos, communications director; Jemera Rone, counsel; and Joanna Weschler, United Nations representative. The regional directors of Human Rights Watch are Peter Takirambudde, Africa; José Miguel Vivanco, Americas; Sidney Jones, Asia; Holly Cartner, Helsinki; and Eric Goldstein (acting), Middle East. The project directors are Joost R. Hiltermann, Arms Project; Lois Whitman, Children's Rights Project; and Dorothy Q. Thomas, Women's Rights Project. The members of the board of directors are Robert L. Bernstein, chair; Adrian W. DeWind, vice chair; Roland Algrant, Lisa Anderson, William Carmichael, Dorothy Cullman, Gina Despres, Irene Diamond, Edith Everett, Jonathan Fanton, James C. Goodale, Jack Greenberg, Vartan Gregorian, Alice H. Henkin, Stephen L. Kass, Marina Pinto Kaufman, Bruce Klatsky, Harold Hongju Koh, Alexander MacGregor, Josh Mailman, Samuel K. Murumba, Andrew Nathan, Jane Olson, Peter Osnos, Kathleen Peratis, Bruce Rabb, Sigrid Rausing, Orville Schell, Sid Sheinberg, Gary G. Sick, Malcolm Smith, Domna Stanton, Nahid Toubia, Maureen White, and Rosalind C. Whitehead. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Research for this report was undertaken in Bulgaria by Yodon Thonden, counsel to Human Rights Watch Children=s Rights Project. The report was written by Yodon Thonden and edited by Lois Whitman, director of Human Rights Watch Children=s Rights Project, Holly Burkhalter, advocacy director to Human Rights Watch, and Juan E. Mendez, general counsel to Human Rights Watch. Holly Cartner, director of Human Rights Watch/Helsinki, provided guidance in the planning of the mission. We wish to express our gratitude to the many organizations and individuals in Bulgaria who helped make this report possible. We especially would like to thank Nikolai Gughinski and the staff of the Human Rights Project for their assistance in planning and conducting our research. Nikolai Gughinski and Savelina Danova acted as interpreters for Human Rights Watch in Bulgaria. We also thank Krassimir Kanev and the staff of the Bulgarian Helsinki Committee for their cooperation and assistance in bringing to light conditions in Labor Education Schools in Bulgaria. Special thanks go to the many children who talked freely with us and whose names have been changed in this report for their safety. GLOSSARY OF TERMS AND ABBREVIATIONS Assembly of Teachers Body of higher-level staff members of Labor Education School, that determines at the end of each academic year whether to release a child or extend confinement. Beijing Rules U.N. Standard Minimum Rules for the Administration of Juvenile Justice CERD International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination CPT European Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment CRP Human Rights Watch Children=s Rights Project Central Commission Central Commission for Combating Juvenile Delinquency, established under the Chief Prosecutor=s Office, governs and coordinates activities of Local Commissions for Combating Juvenile Delinquency. Educator Staff position within Labor Education Schools. ICCPR International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights Inspector Pedagogic Office Inspector, a police officer who specializes in handling juveniles, both in social work and in law enforcement. Local Commission Local Commission for Combating Juvenile Delinquency, an administrative body responsible for recommending the placement of juveniles in Labor Education Schools, established under the municipal mayor=s office. NGO Nongovernmental organization OSCE Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe Riyadh Guidelines U.N. Guidelines for the Prevention of Juvenile Delinquency Roma Gypsies CAT Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman, or Degrading Treatment or Punishment U.N. Rules U.N. Rules for the Protection of Juveniles Deprived of their Liberty CONTENTS 1. INTRODUCTION............................................................................................1 SUMMARY ...........................................................................................1 RECOMMENDATIONS .......................................................................9 2. STREET CHILDREN ....................................................................................15 POLICE VIOLENCE AGAINST STREET CHILDREN....................15 Police Abuse of Children on the Street ..................................15 Police Abuse of Children in Detention...................................20 Bulgarian Criminal Law and Procedure...................21 Arbitrary and Unlawful Detention, and Physical Abuse....................................23 Complaints and Prosecution of Police ...................................30 POLICE FAILURE TO PROTECT STREET CHILDREN FROM RACIST ATTACKS323. LABOR EDUCATION SCHOOLS .............................................................................36 PROCEDURES FOR PLACING CHILDREN IN LABOR EDUCATION SCHOOLS..................................36 International Standards .........................................................36 Bulgarian Law and Practice ...................................................38 Local Commission Members: Role of the Inspector 39 Jurisdiction of the Local Commission for Combating Juvenile Delinquency..............40 Referral of Cases to the Local Commission.............42 Local Commission Hearings....................................42 Review of Local Commission Decisions ................48 Placement in a Particular Labor Education School..50