Statistical data on racist crime is collected by the Ministry of Interior regarding registered crimes, by the Supreme Prosecution Office of Cassation regarding the number of instituted pre-trial proceedings, the number of prosecutorial rulings brought to court and the number of convicts.

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  • Racist violence - Hate Speech Statistics

    The number of cases for racist crimes brought to court and the number of convicted individuals is very low. NGOs say this is due to the fact that offenders are usually charged with ordinary crimes and thus the justice system fails to address the racist nature of the crimes.

    • Overall numbers of racist & hate crime

      There is no accurate data on racist and hate crime.

      Qualitative Info

      The Bulgarian Ministry of Interior collects statistics of registered crimes against the rights of citizens (Articles 162-169c, 170-171, 174a of the Criminal Code). Of these racist and hate crime are incriminated in Art. 162 to 164 of the Criminal Code. The exact number of racist and hate crime cases is not available.

       

      Reporting period

      Registered crimes

      2008

      422

      2009

      519

      01.01.-30.06. 2010

      187

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

      Source: Letter of Ministry of Interior to the Center for the Study of Democracy

       

       

      The table includes official data on criminal offences registered by the police irrespective of whether pre-trial criminal proceedings have been officially instituted by the prosecution service. The articles listed in the table incriminate the following offences: propagating or abetting to racial, national or ethnic hostility or hatred or to racial discrimination through speech, print or other mass media, through electronic information systems or in any other way; using violence against another or damaging another’s property because of the victim’s nationality, race, religion, or political convictions; forming, leading or being a member of an organisation or group which has set itself the objective of committing such acts (Article 162); participating (including as abettors and leaders) in a crowd rallied to attack groups of the population, individual citizens or their property in connection with their national, ethnic or racial affiliation with heavier penalties for cases where the crowd or some of the participants were armed or where an assault had been made which had resulted in severe bodily injury or death (Article 163); propagating hatred on religious basis through speech, print or other mass media, through electronic information systems or in any other way; vandalising, destroying or damaging religious temple, house of prayer, sanctuary or a building attached to them, their symbols or tombstones (Article 164); hindering citizens, by force or threat, from freely practising their faith or from performing their religious rituals and services, which do not violate the laws of the country, the public order and morality; compelling others, in the same way, to take part in religious rituals and services (Article 165); founding a political organisation on religious basis or using, through speech, print media, action or any other way, the church or religion for propagating against state authority or its events (Article 166); crimes against political rights of citizens (Articles 167-169c); crimes against inviolability of premises and vehicles (Article 170); crimes against privacy of correspondence (Article 171); crimes against freedom of assembly (Article 174a).

      Groups affected/interested

      • Migrants
      • Refugees
      • Ethnic minorities

      Type (R/D)

      • Extremism - organised Racist Violence
      • Nationalism
      See other countriesSee indicator history
    • Deaths/killings

      0

      Qualitative Info

      There are no cases reported resulting with death/killings.

      Groups affected/interested

      • Migrants
      • Refugees
      • Ethnic minorities

      Type (R/D)

      • Extremism - organised Racist Violence
      See other countriesSee indicator history
    • Court cases on racist - hate crime

      There is one case reported for the first half of 2010.

      Qualitative Info

      The articles listed in the table incriminate the following offences: propagating or abetting to racial, national or ethnic hostility or hatred or to racial discrimination through speech, print or other mass media, through electronic information systems or in any other way; using violence against another or damaging another’s property because of the victim’s nationality, race, religion, or political convictions; forming, leading or being a member of an organisation or group which has set itself the objective of committing such acts (Article 162); participating (including as abettors and leaders) in a crowd rallied to attack groups of the population, individual citizens or their property in connection with their national, ethnic or racial affiliation with heavier penalties for cases where the crowd or some of the participants were armed or where an assault had been made which had resulted in severe bodily injury or death (Article 163).

      Reporting period

      Article 162

      Article 163

      Number of instituted pre-trial proceedings

      Number of prosecutorial rulings brought to court

      Number of convicted individuals

      Number of instituted pre-trial proceedings

      Number of prosecutorial rulings brought to court

      Number of convicted individuals

      2008

      7

      1

      1

      0

      0

      0

      2009

      10

      3

      1

      0

      0

      0

      01.01.-30.06. 2010

      1

      1

      0

      0

      0

      0

      Source: Supreme Prosecution Office of Cassation based on data provided by the regional prosecution offices

      Groups affected/interested

      • Migrants
      • Refugees
      • Ethnic minorities

      Type (R/D)

      • Extremism - organised Racist Violence
      • Anti-migrant/xenophobia
      • Anti-semitism
      • Islamophobia
      • Anti-roma/zinghanophobia
      • Religious intolerance
      See other countriesSee indicator history
  • Discrimination Statistics

    In 2010, the Commission for Protection against Discrimination delivered 10 decisions on discrimination on the grounds of ethnic origin and race, approved one conciliation agreement between the parties and in one case found indirect discrimination on the ground of ethnic origin. The Panel delivered three instructions to competent public authorities for seizure of established infringements and three recommendations for prevention of future infringements.