Countries
1: Africa.
2: Americas.
3: Asia-Pacific.
4: Europe.
- 4.1: Belgium.
- 4.2: Bulgaria.
  - 4.2.1: Introduction.
  - 4.2.2: List of Detention Sites.
  - 4.2.3: Map of Detention Sites.
  - 4.2.4: Country Links.
  - 4.2.5: Reference List.
- 4.3: Cyprus.
- 4.4: Czech Republic.
- 4.5: Denmark.
- 4.6: Estonia.
- 4.7: Finland.
- 4.8: France.
- 4.9: Greece.
- 4.10: Hungary.
- 4.11: Ireland.
- 4.12: Italy.
- 4.13: Latvia.
- 4.14: Lithuania.
- 4.15: Luxembourg.
- 4.16: Malta.
- 4.17: Netherlands.
- 4.18: Norway.
- 4.19: Poland.
- 4.20: Portugal.
- 4.21: Romania.
- 4.22: Slovakia.
- 4.23: Slovenia.
- 4.24: Spain.
- 4.25: Sweden.
- 4.26: Switzerland.
- 4.27: Turkey.
- 4.28: Ukraine.
- 4.29: United Kingdom.
5: Middle East .

Bulgaria Profile

Quick Facts

Dedicated immigration detention facilities: 2 (2011)

Detention capacity at dedicated facility: 700 (2011)

Maximum length of detention: 18 months

Asylum seekers: 1,025 (2011)

Number of deportations: 295 (2010)

Est. undocumented population: 10,000 (2010)

Last updated: August 2011

Bulgaria Detention Profile

Reference List

Al Jazeera. 2011. “Inside a Bulgarian Detention Centre.” Al Jazeera. 6 June 2011. http://www.aljazeera.com/video/europe/2011/06/2011664513210679.html (accessed 7 July 2011).
Assistance Centre for Torture Survivors (ACET). 2009. Website. “Organizations for Protection of Human Rights Insist for Transparency and Responsibility.” 9 October 2009. http://www.acet-bg.org/index.php?lang=2&pid=2 (accessed 5 May 2010).
Bulgarian Helsinki Committee (BHC). 2010. Human Rights in Bulgaria in 2009: Annual Report. BHC. April 2010. http://www.bghelsinki.org/upload/resources/Human-Rights-in-Bulgaria-en-2009.pdf (accessed 26 July 2010).
Bulgarian Helsinki Committee (BHC) Press Release. 2009. "Bulgarian Human Rights Groups Win Victory at the European Court of Justice Upholding the Rights of All Immigrants in Europe." BHC. 3 December 2009. http://www.bghelsinki.org/index.php?module=news&lg=en&id=2976 (accessed 28 April 2010).
Bulgarian Helsinki Committee (BHC). 2006. Research of the Rights of Migrants in Bulgaria from a Human Rights Perspective: Final Report. BHC. November 2006. old.bghelsinki.org/upload/resources/MigrantsRightsReportENG-1.doc (accessed 10 August 2011).
Bulgarian Ministry of Interior (MOI). Web site. Chief Directorate “Border Police”. http://www.mvr.bg/en/AboutUs/StructuralUnits/National+MoI+Services/BorderPolice/default.htm (accessed 12 May 2010).
Bulgarian Ministry of Interior (MOI). Web site. Migration Directorate. http://www.mvr.bg/en/AboutUs/StructuralUnits/National+MoI+Services/Police/dir_migracia.htm (accessed 12 May 2010.
Bulgarian State Agency for Refugees (SAR). 2010a. Information for asylum seekers and decisions taken, 1 January 1993 – 31 May 2010. State Agency for Refugees with the Council of Ministers. 2010. http://www.aref.government.bg/docs/0510Applications_Decisions_1993-2010-english.xls (accessed 22 July 2010).
Bulgarian State Agency for Refugees (SAR). 2010b. Charts, 31 May 2010. State Agency for Refugees with the Council of Ministers. 2010. http://www.aref.government.bg/docs/0510Charts_website_english.doc (accessed 22 July 2010).
Bulgarian State Agency for Refugees (SAR). 2008. Annex 1: Multi-Annual Programme. European Refugee Fund Department. 2008. http://www.aref.government.bg/ebf/docs/ERF3-%20MPR%20engl.pdf (accessed 28 April 2010).
Ciobanu, Claudia. 2010. “Refuge Can Get Worse Than Rejection.” IPS News. 23 July 2010. http://ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=52249 (accessed 26 July 2010).
Ciobanu, Claudia. 2009. “Migrants Denied Even Medicine.” IPS News. 17 October 2009. http://ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=48903 (accessed 28 April 2010).
CPT Press Release. 2009. “Council of Europe anti-torture Committee: visits in 2010.” European Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment. 3 December 2009. http://www.cpt.coe.int/en/visits/2009-12-03-eng.htm (accessed 26 July 2010).
CPT Press Release. 2008. “Council of Europe anti-torture Committee visits Bulgaria.” European Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment. 22 December 2008. http://www.cpt.coe.int/documents/bgr/2009-01-05-eng.htm (accessed 26 July 2010).
European Commission. 2011. Commission Staff Working Paper: Accompanying the document: Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament and the Council Annual Report on Immigration and Asylum (2010). European Commission. COM(2011) 291 final. Brussels. 24 May 2011.
EuroPost. 2011. “Bulgaria: Refugee detention facility opened in Lyubimets.” EuroPost. 19 March 2011.
George Bakalov Ministries. 2009. Website. “Bulgarian Human Rights Organizations Demand Transparency and Accountability from the Government.” 14 October 2009. http://www.georgebakalov.com/_blog/Current/post/Bulgarian_Human_Rights_Organizations_Demand_Transparency_and_Accountability_from_the_government/ (accessed 28 April 2010).
Hershman, Gabriel. 2009. “Syrian immigrant dies in Bulgarian detention centre.” The Sofia Echo. 19 October 2009. http://sofiaecho.com/2009/10/19/801875_syrian-immigrant-dies-in-bulgarian-detention-centre (accessed 28 April 2010).
Ilareva, Valeria. 2011. “Bulgaria and UNHCR’s urban refugee policy.” Fahamu Refugee Legal Aid Newsletter. 1 June 2011. http://frlan.tumblr.com/post/6068737555/bulgaria-and-unhcrs-urban-refugee-policy (accessed 7 July 2011).
Ilareva, Valeria. 2008. Immigration Detention under International and EC Law. Conference paper for the International Conference of the Refugee Law Reader “The Dynamics of Refugee Protection in an Era of Globalization.” Brussels. December 2008. http://lcri.hit.bg/LARC_paper_Ilareva.pdf (accessed 26 July 2010).
Ilareva, Valeria. 2007a. Immigration Detention in International Law and Practice. In Search of Solutions to the Challenges Faced in Bulgaria. December 2007. http://www.statewatch.org/news/2008/jan/valeria-iIlareva-immigration-detention-bulgaria.pdf (accessed 26 July 2010).
Ilareva, Valeria. 2007b. “Bulgaria’s treatment of asylum seekers.” In Forced Migration Review, Issue 29. December 2007. http://www.fmreview.org/FMRpdfs/FMR29/60-61.pdf (accessed 28 April 2010).
International Organization for Migration (IOM). 2008. Migration in Bulgaria: A Country Profile. IOM. October 2008. http://publications.iom.int/bookstore/free/Bulgaria_Profile2008.pdf (accessed 28 April 2010).
Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS). 2010. Becoming Vulnerable in Detention: Civil Society Report on the Detention of Vulnerable Asylum Seekers and Irregular Migrants in the European Union. JRS-Europe. June 2010. http://detention-in-europe.org/images/stories/DEVAS/jrs-europe_becoming%20vulnerable%20in%20detention_june%202010_public_updated%20on%2012july10.pdf (accessed 19 July 2010).
Koleva, Juliana. 2011. “Bulgaria’s ‘Disappeared’ Refugees.” Balkan Insight. 16 June 2011. http://www.balkaninsight.com/en/blog/bulgaria-s-disappeared-refugees (accessed 30 June 2011).
Kostadinov, Petar. 2010. “The Bousmantsi Triangle.” The Sofia Echo. 26 February 2010. http://sofiaecho.com/2010/02/26/864702_the-bousmantsi-triangle (accessed 1 June 2010).
Law on Asylum and Refugees. 2002. Prom. State Gazette No. 54. 31 May 2002 (as amended 29 June 2007). http://www.aref.government.bg/docs/ZUB-TRC-2007-1181.doc (accessed 28 April 2010).
Law for Foreigners in the Republic of Bulgaria. 1998. Prom. State Gazette No. 153. 23 December 1998 (as amended 6 April 2007). http://www.mvr.bg/NR/rdonlyres/8C3CCC42-3E72-4CBB-900A-E8CB6DE82CAD/0/ZVPNRBGESChTS_EN.pdf (accessed 28 April 2010).
Ovcharov, Svilen. 2008. ENAR Shadow Report 2007: Racism in Bulgaria. European Network Against Racism (ENAR). October 2008. http://cms.horus.be/files/99935/MediaArchive/national/Bulgaria%20-%20SR%202007.pdf (accessed 26 July 2010).
Regulations for Implementation of the Law for the Ministry of Interior. 1998. Prom. State Gazette No. 113. 30 September 1998 (as amended 18 February 2005). http://www.mvr.bg/NR/rdonlyres/FC70BFFB-F945-462D-9040-909FCDD67BC9/0/01_Rules_Law_MoI_EN.pdf (accessed 12 May 2010).
Saïd Shamilovich Kadzoev v. Direktsia 'Migratsia' pri Ministerstvo na vatreshnite raboti. 30 November 2009. European Court of Justice. Case C-357/09. http://www.unhcr.org/refworld/docid/4b14ecb090c1.html (accessed 28 April 2010).
Savova, Iliana (Bulgarian Helsinki Committee). 2010a. Interview by Alex MacKinnon (Global Detention Project). Phone conversation. 26 July 2010. Global Detention Project. Geneva, Switzerland.
Savova, Iliana (Bulgarian Helsinki Committee). 2010b. Interview by Alex MacKinnon (Global Detention Project). Phone conversation. 7 June 2010. Global Detention Project. Geneva, Switzerland.
Savova, Iliana (Bulgarian Helsinki Committee). 2010c. Email message to Alex MacKinnon (Global Detention Project). 8 June 2010. Global Detention Project. Geneva, Switzerland.
Savova, Iliana (Bulgarian Helsinki Committee). 2011. Email message to Michael Flynn (Global Detention Project). 4 August 2011. Global Detention Project. Geneva, Switzerland.
Sofia Echo. 2011. “New detention centre for refugees opens in Lyubimets.” Sofia Echo. 15 March 2011. http://www.sofiaecho.com/2011/03/15/1059378_new-detention-centre-for-refugees-opens-in-lyubimets (accessed 22 June 2011).
Tsvetkova, R. 2011. “Bulgaria and the common European policy for refugee.” Radio Bulgaria. 9 May 2011.
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). 2010. Asylum Levels and Trends in Industrialized Countries: 2009. UNHCR. March 2010. http://www.unhcr.org/4ba7341a9.html (accessed 28 April 2010).
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). 2011. “Crossing a border irregularly is not a crime for a refugee.” UNHCR. 9 June 2011. http://www.unhcr-centraleurope.org/en/news/2011/crossing-a-border-irregularly-is-not-a-crime-for-a-refugee.html (accessed 11 August 2011).
U.S. Department of State. 2010. 2009 Human Rights Report: Bulgaria. Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor. 11 March 2010. http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/hrrpt/2009/eur/136024.htm (accessed 5 May 2010).