Domestic Cases: Bulgaria

10 August 2015

State Response to Violence and Hate Speech

Pernik Police Raid

The ERRC is supporting a victim of police violence during a raid that took place on his home in 2012 to ensure that the incident is properly investigated.

Identity Documents

Renewal of ID cards

On 10 November 2015 the European Roma Rights Centre together with the Equal Opportunities Initiative Association (EOIA), a Bulgarian NGO, submitted a discrimination complaint before the Bulgarian Commissioner for Protection Against Discrimination. Under Bulgarian law, a Bulgarian national can register a permanent address in the country only after submitting one of the following documents: a document for ownership of property for living, a rental agreement, an agreement for living in a specialised institution, or a similar ownership document as specifically requested by the municipal authorities. But, due to their history of social and economic exclusion, a substantial proportion of the Roma in Bulgaria live in ethnically segregated neighborhoods, at addresses that do not exist in the city plans; or they do not otherwise possess documents for property ownership we consider that the Article disproportionally affects the members of the Roma community, and therefore amounts to indirect discrimination.  The consequences are dire: without a permanent registered address, Roma cannot secure ID documents and are excluded from a host of services, depriving them of access to many fundamental rights.