The European Commission against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI) published relevant recommendations in its "ECRI Report on Bulgaria (sixth monitoring cycle)".
The Council of Europe European Commission against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI) published relevant recommendations in its "ECRI Report on Bulgaria (sixth monitoring cycle)".
ODIHR recognizes Bulgaria's efforts to regularly report hate crimes to ODIHR. However, based on the available information, it observes that Bulgaria's law enforcement agencies have not recorded the bias motivations of hate crimes. In addition, ODIHR observes that Bulgaria would benefit from reviewing its existing legal framework to ensure that bias motivations can be effectively acknowledged and appropriate penalties can be imposed on the perpetrators.
ODIHR recalls that in Ministerial Council Decision 9/09, OSCE participating States have committed to promptly investigating hate crimes and ensuring that the bias motivations are acknowledged. To that end, the given law enforcement body or bodies must, as a first step, record the bias motivations of hate crimes. 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.