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.

SELECT YEAR

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 2015 Data

Prosecution figure includes crimes committed with a ‘hooliganism’ motive in addition to the bias motivation.

By bias motivation
By type of crime

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

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Reports

Hate crime against Christians and members of other religions

Jehovah's Witnesses – Bulgaria reported three physical assaults, including one involving the use of a weapon; and one incident of damage to property.

Anti-Muslim hate crime

The Office of Grand Mufti in Bulgaria reported an arson attack on a mosque; an incident of damage to another mosque, in which windows were broken; five incidents of vandalism involving Islamophobic graffiti on mosques and on the building housing the Grand Mufti’s offices, including one incident in which pork was scattered in front of a mosque; and the desecration of a mosque, in which a pig's head was hung on the minaret on the first day of Ramadan.

Anti-Roma hate crime

The Bulgarian Helsinki Committee reported a physical assault on a Roma child, who was shot in the chest by an air gun; one incident of threats against local Roma people via social media; and one robbery carried out by a group.

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".