Organization Report
The Grand Mufti's Office reported two incidents of anti-Roma graffiti on a mosque.
Organization Name
Bias Motivation
Description Type
Reports
You are here
Report Data - Bulgaria - 2014
Official Data
National developments
In 2019, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, together with ODIHR and FRA, organized a workshop for police and other criminal justice agencies involved in recording hate crimes. The workshop produced a set of recommendations on improving hate crime registration, which were provided to the Ministry to be conveyed to the Bulgarian authorities for implementation.
A training on the "Investigation of hate crimes on homophobic and transphobic motives", organized by the LGBT youth organization Action, was held as part of a project funded by the American Bar Asssociation. The aim of the project was to increase sensitivity to the problems of the LGBTI community in Bulgaria and to improve the investigation of crimes committed against LGBTI people. Forty-seven officers (including investigative police officers, security police officers and criminal police operatives) from various District Police Directorates in the country were trained.
NGO reports
Organization Report
The Grand Mufti's Office reported three incidents of graffiti on a mosque. The Bulgarian Helsinki Committee reported one threat made against the organization and two serious physical assaults, both carried out by a group: one against a woman of African descent, and the other against a man of African descent, his Bulgarian girlfriend and her daughter. Amnesty International reported two physical attacks carried out by groups.
Organization Name
Bias Motivation
Description Type
Reports
Organization Report
The Grand Mufti's Office, Amnesty International and the Bulgarian Helsinki Committee reported an incident of damage to property in which stones, rocks and fireworks were thrown at a mosque; and seven cases of graffiti on mosques. Amnesty International reported one additional incident in which stones and fireworks were thrown at a mosque.
Organization Name
Bias Motivation
Description Type
Reports
Organization Report
Jehovah's Witnesses – Bulgaria reported seven incidents of physical assault, one of which involved an attack by a large group against participants in a religious ceremony, five incidents of damage to property, two incidents of graffiti on places of worship and seven incidents of threats, one of which involved a firearm.
Organization Name
Bias Motivation
Description Type
Reports
Organization Report
World Without Nazism reported one incident of anti-Muslim graffiti.
Organization Name
Bias Motivation
Description Type
Reports
Organization Report
World Without Nazism reported one incident of graffiti.
Organization Name
Bias Motivation
Description Type
Reports
IGO Reports
Organization Name
Organization Report
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) reported two cases of threats: one in which three Syrian refugee families were forced to leave a village, and the other in which nine asylum seeking children were prevented from attending school.
Bias Motivation
Description Type
Reports
Organization Name
Organization Report
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Bulgaria implemented a television, print and online media campaign against xenophobic attitudes.
Bias Motivation
Description Type
Developments
Organization Name
Organization Report
In its fifth report, the European Commission against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI) recommended that the Bulgarian authorities include sexual orientation and gender identity in all the articles of the criminal code addressing hate speech and hate crime. It also recommended the collection of data on hate speech and hate crime against LGBT people, including on the number of cases reported, investigated and prosecuted.
Description Type
Developments
ODIHR Recommendations
ODIHR observes that the law enforcement agencies of Bulgaria have not recorded the bias motivations of hate crimes.
National Developments
Description Type
Developments
Organization Report
In 2014, the National Institute of Justice began discussions with ODIHR which will lead to implementation of the PAHCT programme in Bulgaria. A Memorandum of Understanding was signed in 2015.
ODIHR and the Bulgarian Commission for Protection against Discrimination (CPD) began discussing possible improvements to hate crime recording in Bulgaria, with a view to organizing a series of workshops on the issue in 2015.
Overview of incidents reported by civil society groups and organizations
Mandated bias motivation
#raw-data:Attack figures:;
Mandated bias motivation
#raw-data:Attack figures:;
Mandated bias motivation
#raw-data:Attack figures:;
Mandated bias motivation
#raw-data:Attack figures:;
Mandated bias motivation
#raw-data:Attack figures:;
