The Guardian: Bulgaria is in the top four human rights violators in EU courts

Greece, Bulgaria, Poland and Romania are the worst offenders among EU countries of the right to liberty and a fair trial in criminal cases in recent years, showed a study of the violations recorded by the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR), posted the British newspaper The Guardian, cited by BTA.

The most common reason for criticism is the inordinate delay in starting the trial. In some EU countries, pre-trial detention can last up to four years, while in other countries there is no specific statutory maximum, the newspaper noted.

The study is conducted by the London organisation Fair Trials International and the international law firm Clifford Chance and covers a five-year period from 2007 to the summer of 2012.

The problems seem to be worsening. In 2007, the EU has had 37 violations of the right to a fair criminal trial and in 2011 their number had doubled to 75.

Greece had the highest number of violations in the five-year period - 108. Most relate to chronic delays in bringing cases to trial. Also, interpreters have not always been available and concerns have been raised about judicial corruption in Greece, the study Defence Rights in the EU noted.

Bulgaria has 92 violations recorded by ECHR in the five-year period of the study, most of them also due to inordinate delays. Those detained are often not given sufficient access to lawyers or their family, the report said.

Among the other countries with large numbers of violations are Poland with 67 breaches and Romania with 49 violations.

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