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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.

Hate crime data collection in Bulgaria
Support for hate crime victims in Bulgaria
Access more information at the Legislation Online website Legislationline TANDIS Access more information at the Tolerance and Non-Discrimination Information System (TANDIS) website

SELECT YEAR

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OFFICIAL DATA

Year Hate crimes recorded by police Prosecuted Sentenced
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.
  • By bias motivation
  • By type of crime
Download official data
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.

INCIDENTS REPORTED BY OTHER SOURCES

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

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

INTERNATIONAL REPORTS

No information is available.

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.


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2019 Hate Crime Data Now Available!

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Contact Us

Email tndinfo@odihr.pl
Tel +48 22 520 06 00
Fax +48 22 520 06 05
OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR)
Tolerance and Non-Discrimination Department
Ul. Miodowa 10
00-251
Warsaw, Poland

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