The General Directorate National Police (GDNP) has been implementing a project on "Improving co-ordination and dialogue between the police and the Roma community", funded by the Norwegian Financial Mechanism. The project aims to create informal networks at the national and regional levels for the exchange of ideas, knowledge and good practices on countering radicalization and violent extremism, and to support joint initiatives with the participation of public institutions and civil society organizations working with Roma communities.
ODIHR recognizes Bulgaria's efforts to report information on hate crimes to ODIHR. However, it observes that Bulgaria has not reported statistics on hate crimes to ODIHR. 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 committed to promptly investigate hate crimes and ensure 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 through further resources and tailored legislative advice.
🛈 ODIHR no longer presents descriptions of property attacks in the incident tables below. Data on property attacks are presented in the breakdown charts above. One property attack may target multiple properties or involve multiple types of attack.