Bulgaria reported an assault on an Indian diplomat by a group of skinheads.
Bulgaria reported a bias-motivated attack on a Roma family and their property. Charges were brought against the alleged perpetrator.
Provisions in the penal code were amended and supplemented in 2009. The amendments increased potential sentences in specific provisions for crimes involving violence and property damage committed on the grounds of “nationality, race, religion or political conviction”.
As part of the government’s efforts to strengthen data collection and the response of law-enforcement bodies and prosecutors to hate crimes, the Independent Commission for Protection against Discrimination started compiling information relating to new and completed criminal proceedings related to such crimes.
The Organization of Jews in Bulgaria “Shalom” reported an arson attempt on a synagogue and the vandalization of a Holocaust memorial. The Stephen Roth Institute reported three violent incidents.
The Office of the Grand Mufti reported six incidents, including an assault and the vandalization of five mosques.
The European Commission against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI) raised concerns over anti-Semitism and intolerance and discrimination against Muslims in Bulgaria.