Selected publications 30. In this section, a closer look is taken at some of the visit reports and government responses published during the period covered by the General Report. Report on the ad hoc visit to Bulgaria in February 2015 and response of the Bulgarian authorities (treatment and conditions of detention in investigation detention facilities and prisons) 31. The CPT begins the report by stressing that it is extremely concerned by the fact that the vast majority of its longstanding recommendations, especially with respect to the police and prisons, remain unimplemented or only partially implemented. The Committee recalls that, in the light of the facts found during the 2015 visit, a public statement concerning Bulgaria was issued on 26 March 2015. The CPT’s aim in making this public statement was to motivate and assist the Bulgarian authorities, and in particular the Ministries of the Interior and Justice, to take decisive action in line with the fundamental values to which Bulgaria, as a member state of the Council of Europe and the European Union, has subscribed. 32. The report concludes that persons detained by the police in Bulgaria continue to run a significant risk of being ill-treated, both at the time of apprehension and during subsequent questioning. Further, there has been no progress as regards the practical implementation of the legal safeguards against police ill-treatment. The CPT calls upon the Bulgarian authori­ ties to take the additional necessary General Report of the CPT, 2015 ► Page 16 steps to create an atmosphere in which the right thing to do for police officers is to report ill-treatment by colleagues. Moreover, the Committee reiterates its recommendations that the Bulgarian authorities take the necessary measures to ensure that legal provisions guaranteeing the safeguards against ill-treatment are applied in practice. In their response, the Bulgarian authorities indicate a number of steps taken to address the concerns raised in the report. 33. Many allegations of deliberate physical ill-treatment (usually consisting of slaps, punches, kicks and truncheon blows) were again received at all the prisons visited, including the Sofia Investigation Detention Facility, and Burgas, Sofia, and Varna Prisons. Inter-prisoner violence remained wide­ spread and appeared to occur as a form of punishment of fellow prisoners or to be racially motivated (primarily against Roma prisoners). Furthermore, the delegation heard allegations that, following incidents with custodial staff, prisoners had not been examined by a doctor. The CPT recommends that the Bulgarian authorities take action to ensure that all prisoners are properly medically screened following a violent episode within a prison and that the results of this screening are accurately recorded. The Committee also recommends that whenever injuries which are consistent with allegations of ill-treatment or inter-prisoner violence are recorded by a doctor, the record is immediately brought to the attention of the relevant authorities and a preliminary investigation initiated. In their response, the Bulgarian authorities acknowledge the findings of the CPT and express their utmost concern with