The Prosecutor General’s Office (PGO) said it received 320 complaints about acts of torture in the first six months of this year, a decrease of 19% compared with the corresponding period of 2013. According to studies made by prosecutors, the number of complaints about acts of torture is the lowest in the last four years, IPN reports, quoting a communiqué of the PGO.

After examining the complaints, the prosecutors ordered taking legal action in 64 cases. In the first half of 2013, there were started 70 criminal cases.

In most of the cases, ill-treatment was used against suspects, persons accused of committing offenses or convicted persons (199 complaints). In 30 complaints, the authors invoked ill-treatment against offenders, while in 20 complaints – against other participants in the trial, including victims, the injured party and witnesses. In 71 cases, the authors complained about use of violence against persons who weren’t convicted and weren’t involved in trials or investigations.

A number of 15 complaints concerned ill-treatment against minors with the aim of punishing them for particular acts or of extracting information or depositions from them by illegal methods or the use of force when arresting the person.

In 216 of the 320 cases, the victims sustained physical pain or mental suffering without having visible injuries. In 145 applications or 45% of the total number, the complainers accused police officers of ill-treatment.