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 systems through ODIHR's Information Against Hate Crimes Toolkit (INFAHCT) programme. ODIHR completed a review of Bulgaria's hate crime legislation in 2018.
OFFICIAL DATA REPORTED BY STATES
| Year | Hate crimes recorded by police | Prosecuted | Sentenced |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Not available | 12 | 3 |
| 2022 | Not available | Not available | Not available |
| 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 2015 Data
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Prosecution figure includes crimes committed with a ‘hooliganism’ motive in addition to the bias motivation.
Hate crime recorded by police
KEY OBSERVATION
ODIHR observes that the law enforcement agencies of Bulgaria have not recorded the bias motivations of hate crimes.
INCIDENTS REPORTED BY CIVIL SOCIETY
INTERNATIONAL REPORTS
Racist and xenophobic hate crime, Anti-LGBTI hate crime
Following its Universal Periodic Review (UPR), the Bulgarian authorities made the commitment to examine and respond to recommendations to enhance efforts to ensure that hate crimes are effectively investigated and prosecuted, including those perpetrated against LGBT people, migrants, refugees and asylum-seekers. Other such recommendations included encouraging the reporting and proper recording of hate crimes, strengthening data-collection systems and providing training on hate crimes to law enforcement and judicial authorities.
Racist and xenophobic hate crime
The Commissioner for Human Rights of the Council of Europe, in the annual activity report following his country visit to Bulgaria, expressed concern at hate crimes targeting migrants and recommended that the authorities encourage reporting by victims and cease treating hate crimes as "hooliganism".