Reform measures include an austerity package with layoffs at state-owned enterprises, which is expected to increase unemployment substantially. The economic crisis has affected the employment of people from ethnic minorities disproportionately. The Government generally respected the human rights of its citizens, but problems remained in some areas. Police used unwarranted lethal force against suspects and minorities in some cases, and security forces beat suspects and inmates. Human rights observers charged that the security forces are not sufficiently accountable to Parliament or to society and that the resultant climate of impunity is a major obstacle to ending police abuses.
Prison conditions are harsh, and pretrial detention is often prolonged.
The judiciary is underpaid, understaffed, and has a heavy case backlog. Most citizens have little confidence in their legal system. Constitutional restrictions on political parties formed on ethnic, racial, or religious lines effectively limit participation for some groups. Societal mistreatment of ethnic minorities is a serious problem, and both the Government and private citizens continued to obstruct the activities of some non-Eastern Orthodox religious groups. Human rights groups report that the Government does not adequately assist homeless and other vulnerable children, notably Romani children, and that security forces harass, physically abuse, and arbitrarily arrest and detain Romani street children.