24.In accordance with rule 66 of the rules of procedure of the Committee, representatives of all the reporting States were invited to attend the meetings of the Committee when their reports were examined. All of the States parties whose reports were considered sent representatives to participate in the examination of their respective reports. 25.Country rapporteurs and alternate rapporteurs were designated for each of the reports considered. The list appears in annex V to the present report. The Committee’s working methods when considering reports under article 19 of the Convention are contained in annex VI. 26.In connection with its consideration of reports, the Committee also had before it: (a)General guidelines regarding the form and contents of initial reports to be submitted by States parties under article 19, paragraph 1, of the Convention (CAT/C/4/Rev.2); (b)General guidelines regarding the form and contents of periodic reports to be submitted by States parties under article 19 of the Convention (CAT/C/14/Rev.1). 27.The following sections contain the text of conclusions and recommendations adopted by the Committee with respect to the abovementioned States parties’ reports. Furthermore, at its thirty first session the Committee noted that no information had been received from the Government of Cambodia with respect to its provisional conclusions and recommendations on this country and decided to consider these as final. BULGARIA* 28.The Committee considered the third periodic report of Bulgaria (CAT/C/34/Add.16) at its 612th and 614th meetings (CAT/C/SR.612 and 614), held on 17 and 18 May 2004, and adopted the following conclusions and recommendations. A. Introduction 29.The Committee welcomes the submission of the third periodic report of Bulgaria and the opportunity to continue its dialogue with the State party. 30.While noting that the report only covers the period up to May 2000, the Committee appreciates the detailed responses to the written list of issues and the replies provided to the questions raised by the Committee members during the dialogue, which furnished information concerning measures to implement the Convention taken by the State party since 2000. B. Positive aspects 31.The Committee notes the following positive developments: (a)Ongoing efforts by the State party to reform its legislation related to the implementation of the Convention and aimed at strengthening the protection of human rights. In particular, the Committee welcomes the following: The entry into force of the Law on the Ombudsman on 1 January 2004; The adoption by the National Assembly of the Law on the Protection against Discrimination on 16 September 2003 and other practical measures in the field of protection against discrimination, such as the recruitment of Roma into the police force; The entry into force of the new Law on Asylum and Refugees on 1 December 2002, notably the establishment of the State Agency for Refugees as the single central refugee authority deciding on asylum, as well as the introduction of the possibility of judicial review for decisions taken in the accelerated procedure; The Code of Conduct of the Policeman adopted and introduced into practice by order of the Minister of the Interior in October 2003; (b)The issuance of instruction No. I-167 of the Minster of the Interior of 23 July 2003 establishing procedures to be followed by the police upon detention of persons at the structural units of the Ministry of the Interior; (c)The setting up of a specialized Human Rights Commission within the National Police Service in August 2000, with a network of regional coordinators; (d)The transfer of the investigation detention facilities to the Ministry of Justice in January 2000; (e)The access given to non-governmental organizations, such as the Bulgarian Helsinki Committee, to visit prisons on a regular basis; (f)The information provided by the representative of the State party during the dialogue that 13 underground investigative detention (pre-trial) facilities were closed in April 2004 and that the State party is seeking urgent solutions for the remaining 5 underground facilities; (g)The cooperation with the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CPT) and information offered by the representative of the State party that it has authorized the publication of the report on the visit by the CPT in 2002. C. Subjects of concern