News

27 January 2026

A delegation from the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CAT) met with the head of the office of the Ombudsman and the National Preventive Mechanism team – the directorate of the Ombudsman that monitors and verifies whether the rights of citizens are respected in psychiatric hospitals, prisons, detention centers, refugee centers, etc.

The CAT representatives were informed about the results of the NPM's inspections in the period 2024-2025 in psychiatric institutions, prisons, prison dormitories, pre-trial detention centers, and the Specialised Hospital for Active Treatment of Prisoners in Sofia.

The conversation focused mainly on serious cases of violations of the prohibition of torture and inhuman or degrading treatment, including deaths in fires at the State Psiachiatric Hospital in Lovech (2023) and the psychiatric clinic of "Sv. Marina" Hospital in Varna (2024), in which patients died while being immobilised (restrained), as well as a case of prolonged and unregulated physical restraint.

In all cases, the Ombudsman conducted inspections and issued reports and recommendations to the responsible institutions.

The NPM experts also presented the deepening problems in places of deprivation of liberty – poor material and living conditions, the presence of pests – rats, fleas, and bedbugs, a severe shortage of medical staff, difficult access to medical care, and the use of new narcotic substances that pose a high risk to the life and health of inmates. The situation remains particularly dire at the Kremikovtsi closed-type prison, which has been repeatedly recommended for closure.

The CAT members were informed about the actions taken by the Ombudsman over the years, insisting on urgent amendment of Ordinance No. 1 of 2005, including the introduction of clear rules for the application of "immobilisation" and "isolation" measures, a maximum number of applications of the measures within 24 hours, mandatory continuous monitoring, detailed medical documentation, video surveillance in physical restraint rooms, and a central electronic register of all cases.

In this regard, the Ombudsman's experts informed the representatives of the CAT that, just a few days ago, the institution sent its opinion in support of a draft law amending the Health Act. It provides for the creation of a clear legal framework for these guarantees: explicit regulation of the grounds and limits for the application of physical restraint; mandatory medical supervision and documentation; a ban on torture and inhuman or degrading treatment, as well as an effective domestic legal remedy for the protection of the rights of persons with mental illness.