Bulgaria
Bulgaria regularly reports hate crime data to ODIHR. Bulgaria's hate crime laws are a combination of specific penalty enhancements and substantive offences. The data reported to ODIHR do not present separately cases of hate crime, incitement to hatred and discrimination. The authorities responsible for collecting hate crime data are the Interior Ministry's Co-ordination, Information and Analysis Directorate; the Supreme Judicial Council's Commission on Professional qualification, IT and statistics; the Supreme Court of Cassation's Criminal College; the Supreme Prosecutor of Cassation's Analysis Unit; and the National Statistical Institute.
How hate crime data is collected
There is no specific system in place for recording hate crimes, which are registered as any other criminal offence. The methodological guidelines issued by the Ministry of Interior govern the process of crime registration, data collection and the compilation of police statistics.
The recording officer can describe any motive for the crime in a specific field of the crime report. The same field is also used to provide preliminary legal qualification by referring to the relevant provisions of the criminal code, including subsections. This is relevant because some offences in the criminal code include aggravation by bias in the subsections of the main provision.
Entered data are stored in a set of electronic registries: the Integrated Regional Police System (IRS); the Automated Information System (AIS) Central Police Register; the AIS Central Police Statistics and the automated systems for filing activities. These systems are organized according to the relevant articles of the criminal code.
The official website of the Ministry of Interior publishes statistical information about registered crimes.
Official Data
National developments
In 2019, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, together with ODIHR and FRA, organized a workshop for police and other criminal justice agencies involved in recording hate crimes. The workshop produced a set of recommendations on improving hate crime registration, which were provided to the Ministry to be conveyed to the Bulgarian authorities for implementation.
A training on the "Investigation of hate crimes on homophobic and transphobic motives", organized by the LGBT youth organization Action, was held as part of a project funded by the American Bar Asssociation. The aim of the project was to increase sensitivity to the problems of the LGBTI community in Bulgaria and to improve the investigation of crimes committed against LGBTI people. Forty-seven officers (including investigative police officers, security police officers and criminal police operatives) from various District Police Directorates in the country were trained.
International reports
Racism and xenophobia, Bias against members of other religions or beliefs
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The United Nations Human Rights Council Working Group on the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) published relevant recommendations in its "Report from the Thirty-sixth session: Compilation on Bulgaria."
Racism and xenophobia, Bias against Roma and Sinti, Bias against other groups - Sexual orientation or gender identity
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The Commissioner for Human Rights of the Council of Europe published relevant recommendations in her "Report following a visit to Bulgaria.
Key observation
ODIHR observes that the law enforcement agencies of Bulgaria have not recorded the bias motivations of hate crimes.
