Buying Property In Bulgaria

The Government generally respected the human rights of its citizens; however, there were problems in several areas. Members of the security forces were responsible for one killing during the year. Security forces commonly beat suspects and inmates and beat and mistreated minorities. Arbitrary arrest and detention were problems. Security forces harassed, physically abused, and arbitrarily arrested and detained Romani street children. Problems of accountability persisted and inhibited government attempts to address police abuses. Conditions in many prisons and detention facilities were harsh. There remained some instances of prolonged pretrial detention, although the Government continued to improve its performance in preventing periods of pretrial detention from exceeding the statutory limit of 1 year. The judiciary was underpaid, understaffed, and had a heavy case backlog; corruption of the judiciary was a serious problem. The Government infringed on citizens' privacy right ... [Read More]

US Department Of State Post Report

AERA, CLO, and the Marine Security Guard Detachment work together to organize holiday gatherings for the Embassy community and friends. The annual Marine Birthday Ball is one of the highlights of the fall season, followed by the International Women’s Club (IWC) Charity Bazaar in early December. Opportunities abound to devote time to charity. Many institutions for orphans and handicapped welcome volunteeres. There are two English-speaking international clubs for women, the above-mentioned IWC, and the Women’s Network, made up chiefly of working women in Sofia. Official Functions Nature of FunctionsLast Updated:  12/2/2003 11:36 AM In Sofia, there ... [Read More]

Report on Global Anti-Semitism

January 5, 2005 Executive Summary I.  Anti-SemitismAnti-Semitism has plagued the world for centuries. Taken to its most far-reaching and violent extreme, the Holocaust, anti-Semitism resulted in the deaths of millions of Jews and the suffering of countless others. Subtler, less vile forms of anti-Semitism have disrupted lives, decimated religious communities, created social and political cleavages, and complicated relations between countries as well as the work of international organizations. For an increasingly interdependent world, anti-Semitism is an intolerable burden. The increasing frequency and severity of anti-Semitic incidents since the start of the 21st century, particularly in Europe, has compelled the international com ... [Read More]

2004 Country Report on Human Rights Practices in Cyprus
[Read More]

US Department Of State Post Report

It is best to bring your own multi-system TV, VCR, radio, and stereo since all the Macedonian channels broadcast in color in the European system (Pal/Secam). Multi-system TVs are not readily available locally; however European TVs can be purchased almost everywhere. Small satellite dishes are also readily available. A cable TV system is in its initial phase here, and is available with 5 English channels: CNN, a sports channel, a music channel, the Cartoon Network/TNT, and a movie channel (mostly English movies with subtitles in Macedonian). One can also purchase an AFN decoder through the Camp Able Sentry PX which provides 6 channels in English. Cost is around $600 for the decoder purchase. Installation of the required satellite dish is additional. An American TV with VCR can be used with a transformer to play computer games and VHS/NTSC tapes. Video movies in VHS/PAL/Secam system are very popular and readily available in Macedonia. Unfortunately, the Embassy recommends that personnel ... [Read More]

M) Money Laundering and Financial Crimes

The following are summaries of the most significant priority issues:Refocus Efforts of High Intensity Financial Crime Areas (HIFCAs). HIFCAs are special, high-risk areas or sectors where law enforcement will concentrate its resources and energy to combat money laundering. The 2001 Strategy mandated that the HIFCA task forces become operational and conduct investigations designed to result in indictments, convictions, and seizures, rather than focus primarily on intelligence gathering. Each of the six HIFCA Task Forces is now actively working cases. HIFCA Task Forces are composed of, and draw upon, all relevant federal, state, and local agencies. The Departments of Treasury and Justice jointly supervise the HIFCA Task Forces, and the 2001 Strategy primarily tasks the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (FLETC) and Justice’s Asset Forfeiture and Money Laundering Section to develop an advanced money laundering training program to enhance the HIFCA Task Forces’ abili ... [Read More]

International Narcotics Control Strategy Reports

INTERNATIONAL NARCOTICS CONTROL STRATEGY REPORT, APRIL 1993US DEPARTMENT OF STATEBUREAU OF INTERNATIONAL NARCOTICS MATTERSDEPARTMENT OF STATE PUBLICATION 10047RELEASED APRIL 1993The Report is for sale by the Government Printing Office, Superindendent of Documents. Stock No.: 044-000-02370-9THIS SEGMENT OF THE INCSR REPRESENTS INDIVIDUAL REPORTS FOR THE EUROPEAN NATIONSEUROPE Albania Austria The Baltics Estonia Latvia Lithuania Belarus Belgium Bulgaria Cyprus Czech and Slovak Federal Republics Denmark Finland France Germany Greece Hungary Iceland Ireland Italy Luxembourg Malta Moldova The Netherlands Norway Poland Portugal Romania Russia Sweden Switzerland Turkey Ukraine United Kingdom Yugoslavia Central Asian States Kazakhstan Kyrgyzstan Turkmenistan Tajikistan Uzbekistan Transcaucasia Armenia Azerbaijan Georgia[EDITOR'S NOTE: Charts referenced to in brackets [ ] are available only in hard copy of r ... [Read More]