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.

SELECT YEAR

OFFICIAL DATA

Year	Hate crimes recorded by police	Prosecuted	Sentenced
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 2020 Data

The numbers recorded by the police refer to cases registered under substantive offences, some of which are hate speech provisions, and specific penalty enhancements in the Bulgarian Criminal Code. However, most (706) of the offences under the latter category include crimes committed out of "hooligan motives", which fall outside of the OSCE's hate crime definition. The number of sentencing judgments refers also include discrimination-based offences which fall outside the OSCE's hate crime definition.

Download official data

National developments

In February and July 2020, respectively, in Arbanassi and Bankya, two training events for police officers on the topic of hate crime were organized by the LGBTI youth organization "Action".

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs published a handbook entitled "Police Action in Hate Crimes against LGBTI People: Training for a Professional Police Response" which was developed under the project "Safe To Be" funded by the European Union's Rights, Equality and Citizenship Programme (2014-2020). The project has three goals: the first is related to publishing the handbook; the second entails developing a Handbook on Restorative Justice; and the third is to create a website for (and by) the LGBTI community offering an empowering counter-narrative for hate-based conflicts.

KEY OBSERVATION

ODIHR recognizes Bulgaria's efforts to build the capacities of police in responding to hate crime. However, based on the available information, it observes that the law enforcement agencies of Bulgaria have not recorded the bias motivations behind. hate crimes. In addition, ODIHR observes that Bulgaria would benefit from reviewing its existing legal framework in order to ensure that bias motivation can be effectively acknowledged and appropriate penalties can be imposed on the perpetrators.

ODIHR recalls that in the Ministerial Council Decision 9/09, participating States have committed to promptly investigating hate crimes and ensuring that the motives of those convicted of hate crimes are acknowledged. To that end, the given law enforcement body or bodies must, first of all, record the bias motivation of hate crimes. Moreover, in the Ministerial Council Decision 9/09, 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.

Our methodology

INCIDENTS REPORTED BY OTHER SOURCES

Total Incidents
Targeted properties
Type of property attacks

In addition to incidents summarized below, this graph includes 2 hate incidents reported by Kantor Center as statistics.

No information is available.

Racist and xenophobic hate crime

Date	Type of incident	Source	Description
2020-11	Violent attacks against people	UNHCR	Show info
2020-11	Violent attacks against people	UNHCR	Show info

Anti-Roma hate crime

Date	Type of incident	Source	Description
2020-06	Violent attacks against people	European Roma Rights Center (ERRC)	Show info
2020-05	Violent attacks against people	European Roma Rights Center (ERRC)	Show info
2020	Attacks against property	OSCE Office for Democratic Institution and Human Rights	Show info
2020-05	Violent attacks against people	European Roma Rights Center (ERRC) OSCE Office for Democratic Institution and Human Rights	Show info
2020-08	Attacks against property	European Roma Rights Center (ERRC) OSCE Office for Democratic Institution and Human Rights	Show info

Anti-Semitic hate crime

Date	Type of incident	Source	Description
2020-01	Attacks against property	Kantor Center	Show info
2020-01	Attacks against property	Bulgarian Hate Crime Recording Coalition	Show info
2020-01	Threats	Bulgarian Hate Crime Recording Coalition	Show info
2020-12	Attacks against property	Bulgarian Hate Crime Recording Coalition	Show info
2020-08	Threats	Bulgarian Hate Crime Recording Coalition	Show info
2020-08	Threats	Bulgarian Hate Crime Recording Coalition	Show info
2020-07	Violent attacks against people	Bulgarian Hate Crime Recording Coalition	Show info

Anti-Muslim hate crime

Date	Type of incident	Source	Description
2020-01	Attacks against property	Office of Grand Mufti in Bulgaria	Show info
2020-10	Attacks against property	Office of Grand Mufti in Bulgaria	Show info

Disability hate crime

Date	Type of incident	Source	Description
2020-06	Violent attacks against people	European Roma Rights Center (ERRC)	Show info

Anti-LGBTI hate crime

Date	Type of incident	Source	Description
2020-09	Violent attacks against people	Bulgarian Hate Crime Recording Coalition	Show info
2020	Attacks against property	OSCE Office for Democratic Institution and Human Rights	Show info
2020-08	Attacks against property	European Roma Rights Center (ERRC) OSCE Office for Democratic Institution and Human Rights	Show info