should be secured and where the escorted individuals should be searched before entry in
and exit from the premises;
- for buildings in category IV: a minimum of two premises for temporary stay and
isolation of escorted individuals – each of them with a 6-person capacity; two toilets in a
common sanitary premise; one premise for meetings with lawyers; all premises must be
connected via shared corridor where safety zones should be secured and where the
escorted individuals should be searched before entry in and exit from the premises.
The overall conclusion of the NPM is that none of the sites inspected met the regulatory
requirements.
1. Court buildings in category II
As already stated the Court of Justice in Plovdiv falls in this category. There is a security
zone separated in the building with limited access – for detained persons and persons
forcefully brought to the court in accordance with art. 7, para 1, item 4 of Ordinance No 4.
The security in the zone within the Court of Justice and of the escorted individuals is
carried out by the "Escort" Sector of the "Security" District Directorate in Plovdiv.
There is one TSIF which has a capacity of a maximum of 8 people. It is situated in a
separate corridor on the first floor between the old and the newly build wing of the
building. In compliance with the requirements there is one sanitary unit in the corridor
where this premise is located. There is no natural light. The light in the premise is from
electric bulb in the corridor. Ventilation is only through the metal bars by means of which
the premise is separated. An air-conditioning machine is installed and it is used to heat or
cool the premise depending on the season.
In violation of the requirements of art. 7, para 1, item 4 of Ordinance No 4 there are no
separate premises in the Court of Justice – one room to bring men, one for women, one for
minors and under aged individuals. Women, minors and under aged individuals are
placed on a bench outside the premise for the detained escorted persons. There is not
enough space for storage of personal belongings.
The lack of sufficient number of premises requires individuals forcefully brought to the
court to be accommodated in the building used by the administration of the SDD Plovdiv,
which is outside the building of the Court of Justice, during busier times.
The NPM is of the opinion that urgent measures should be undertaken to improve the
accommodation conditions in the premise.
The Court of Justice in Plovdiv houses the Appellate, District and Regional Courts. The
workload differs – between 20 and 50 people a day. They stay over different period of
time, often up to several hours. There is a separate entrance for the detained people upon
their entry into the restricted access security zone. Their movement to the court rooms
coincides with the general movements in the building, including ordinary citizens. NPM
believes that movement in the common corridors represents degrading treatment of the
escorted individuals.
44
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