Bulgaria
Bulgaria regularly reports hate crime data to ODIHR. Bulgaria implemented ODIHR's Training Against Hate Crime for Law Enforcement (TAHCLE) programme from 2012 until 2017. Bulgaria also took part in ODIHR's project on "Building a Comprehensive Criminal Justice Response to Hate Crime", helping to develop a joint training programme for police and prosecutors that was piloted in the country. Bulgaria has also made efforts to improve hate crime identification, recording and data collection through ODIHR's Information Against Hate Crimes Toolkit (INFAHCT) programme. ODIHR completed a review of Bulgaria’s hate crime legislation in 2018.
OFFICIAL DATA
| Year | Hate crimes recorded by police | Prosecuted | Sentenced |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 18 | 384 | 303 |
| 2020 | 727 | 353 | 289 |
| 2019 | 22 | 432 | 155 |
| 2018 | 46 | 6 | 158 |
| 2017 | 22 | 9 | 9 |
| 2016 | 28 | 299 | 71 |
| 2015 | 704 | 752 | 135 |
| 2014 | 617 | 750 | 117 |
| 2013 | 651 | 300 | 239 |
| 2012 | Not available | Not available | Not available |
| 2011 | 29 | 41 | 10 |
| 2010 | 20 | 34 | 4 |
| 2009 | 20 | 22 | 9 |
About 2021 Data
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The numbers recorded by the police refer to cases registered under substantive offences, some of which may be hate speech provisions. Along with offences committed out of "hooligan motives", such offences fall outside of the OSCE's hate crime definition. The records on prosecuted cases and sentencing judgments also include discrimination-based offences, which fall outside of the OSCE's hate crime definition.
Hate crime recorded by police
KEY OBSERVATION
ODIHR recognizes Bulgaria's efforts to regularly report hate crimes to ODIHR. However, based on the available information, it observes that Bulgaria's law enforcement agencies have not recorded the bias motivations of hate crimes. In addition, ODIHR observes that Bulgaria would benefit from reviewing its existing legal framework to ensure that bias motivations can be effectively acknowledged and appropriate penalties can be imposed on the perpetrators.
ODIHR recalls that in Ministerial Council Decision 9/09, OSCE participating States have committed to promptly investigating hate crimes and ensuring that the bias motivations are acknowledged. To that end, the given law enforcement body or bodies must, as a first step, record the bias motivations of hate crimes. Participating States have also committed to enacting specific, tailored legislation to combat hate crimes, providing for effective penalties that take into account the gravity of such crimes. ODIHR stands ready to support Bulgaria in meeting the relevant commitments through the provision of comprehensive resources and tailored assistance in the area of hate crime recording and data collection, as well as further resources and tailored legislative advice.
INCIDENTS REPORTED BY OTHER SOURCES
Anti-Muslim hate crime
| Date | Type of incident | Source | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021-01 | Attacks against property | Office of Grand Mufti in Bulgaria
|
Show info |
| 2021-07 | Attacks against property | Office of Grand Mufti in Bulgaria
|
Show info |
INTERNATIONAL REPORTS
Racist and xenophobic hate crime, Anti-Roma hate crime, Anti-LGBTI hate crime
The European Commission against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI) published relevant recommendations in its "ECRI Report on Bulgaria (sixth monitoring cycle)".