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.

SELECT YEAR

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 2010 Data

Figures include crimes of incitement to hatred and crimes of discrimination.

Hate crime recorded by police

National developments

The Commission on the Protection against Discrimination was tasked by the government with reviewing its laws for compliance with the EU Framework Decision. The Commission stated that improvements should be made to current legislation to ensure that racist or xenophobic motivations are considered as possible aggravating circumstances for all crimes, as they currently have limited application in the Bulgarian Criminal Code.

The Office of the Grand Mufti and the Director of the Commission for Protection against Discrimination, invited ODIHR to Sofia for an assessment visit to explore potential training activities with government officials and civil society. The Interior Ministry signed a memorandum of understanding with ODIHR for joint implementation of ODIHR's police training programme on hate crime, TAHCLE, in the Bulgarian police academy in 2011.

KEY OBSERVATION

No information is available.

Incidents reported by civil society, international organizations and the Holy See

Reports

Racist and xenophobic hate crime

The Office of the Grand Mufti reported graffiti displaying anti-Turkish sentiments on a mosque and a school.

Anti-Semitic hate crime

The Organization of the Jews in Bulgaria reported two cases of the desecration of cemeteries and five cases of graffiti, three of which targeted a Holocaust memorial statue.

The Stephen Roth Institute reported one hate incident.

Anti-Muslim hate crime

Human Rights First reported one arson attack on a mosque.

The Office of the Grand Mufti reported one arson attack, three cases of damage to property and three cases of graffiti targeting mosques and Muslim cemeteries.

Developments

Anti-Semitic hate crime

The Socialist Party’s Youth Association Campaign organized a series of “Clean Start in History” days, on which young people removed swastikas and anti-Semitic slogans from monuments and historical sites.