National Documentation Packages (NDPs) are lists of public documents that provide information on country conditions. Updates occur on a regular basis.
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Jurisprudential Guides Notes
Jurisprudential Guides Notes
On
July 28, 2022, the Chairperson identified the following Refugee Appeal Division decision as being a
Jurisprudential Guide:
-
Decision TC1 05038 – The proper interpretation of the ‘generalized risk’ exception to protection found at subparagraph 97(1)(b)(ii) of the Act, in claims for protection involving allegations of gang-targeting or other acts of criminality.
On
December 22, 2020, the Chairperson identified the following Refugee Appeal Division decision as being a
Jurisprudential Guide.
-
Decision MB8-00025 – This Jurisprudential Guide addresses, in applying Article 1E of the Refugee Convention, whether members should consider allegations of risk in a country of residence if they conclude that a refugee claimant has the rights and obligations which are attached to the possession of nationality in that country.
On
July 6, 2018, the Chairperson identified the following Refugee Appeal Division decision as being a
Jurisprudential Guide.
-
Decision TB7-19851 – Nigeria – This Jurisprudential Guide addresses internal flight alternatives in major cities in south and central Nigeria for claimants fleeing non-state actors.
Revoked
The country documentation referenced in each of these decisions has been included in s.16 of the updated National Documentation Packages published on July 10, 2018.
On
July 20, 2017, the Chairperson identified the following Refugee Appeal Division decision as being
Jurisprudential Guides.
-
Decision TB7-01837 – Pakistan – Whether the treatment experienced by Ahmadis in Pakistan amounts to persecution, whether state protection is available and whether there is a viable internal flight alternative.
-
Decision MB6-01059/60 – India – Availability of an internal flight alternative in India for claimants from Punjab.
Revoked
-
Decision TB6-11632 – China – Analysis of the efficacy of the Chinese national computer network known as the Golden Shield Project and its impact on whether a person wanted by the authorities can exit China via an airport using a genuine passport.
Revoked
The country documentation referenced in each of these decisions has been included in s.16 of the updated National Documentation Packages published on July 20, 2017.
Back
31 March 2020
BULGARIA
List of Documents
1.
General Information and Maps
Source:
United States. Central Intelligence Agency.
Date of Document:
June 1994
Accessed Date:
25 October 2012
Title:
Bulgarie. L'Encyclopédie en ligne.
Accessed Date:
25 October 2012
Title:
Bulgaria. The World Factbook.
Source:
United States. Central Intelligence Agency.
Date of Document:
19 November 2019
Accessed Date:
22 November 2019
Title:
III.4. Ethno-Demographic Characteristics of the Population. 2011 Population Census in the Republic of Bulgaria.
Source:
Bulgaria. National Statistical Institute.
Accessed Date:
24 October 2013
Keywords:
children; ethnic and national groups; minorities; nationality; religion; statistics
Title:
Poverty and Social Inclusion Indicators in 2018
Source:
Bulgaria. National Statistical Institute.
Date of Document:
30 April 2019
Accessed Date:
15 November 2019
Title:
Bulgaria. Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2019.
Source:
United States. Department of State.
Date of Document:
11 March 2020
Accessed Date:
20 March 2020
Title:
Bulgaria. Amnesty International Report 2017/2018: The State of the World's Human Rights.
Source:
Amnesty International
Date of Document:
22 February 2018
Accessed Date:
14 November 2018
Title:
Bulgaria. Nations in Transit 2018.
Author:
Emilia Zankina; Boris Gurov
Accessed Date:
14 November 2018
Title:
Bulgaria. Freedom in the World 2019.
Accessed Date:
6 November 2019
Title:
Bulgaria's Second Universal Periodic Review Recommendations. Mid-Term Implementation Update: 2015-2018.
Date of Document:
December 2018
Accessed Date:
15 November 2019
Title:
Report by Nils Muižnieks, Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, following his visit to Bulgaria, from 9 to 11 February 2015
Source:
Council of Europe. Commissioner for Human Rights.
Date of Document:
22 June 2015
Accessed Date:
19 October 2015
Keywords:
children; freedom of movement; freedom of the press; gender equality; human rights activists; institutional efficacy; legislation; social services
Title:
Comments of the Bulgarian Government to the report of the Commissioner for Human Rights following his visit to Bulgaria on 9-11 February 2015
Date of Document:
16 July 2015
Accessed Date:
19 October 2015
Keywords:
children; crime; freedom of movement; freedom of the press; judicial efficacy; legal system; legislation
Title:
Human Rights in Bulgaria in 2017. Annual report of the Bulgarian Helsinki Committee.
Source:
Bulgarian Helsinki Committee
Date of Document:
April 2018
Accessed Date:
14 November 2018
Title:
ECRI Report on Bulgaria: fifth monitoring cycle
Source:
Council of Europe. European Commission against Racism and Intolerance.
Date of Document:
16 September 2014
Accessed Date:
20 October 2015
Title:
Appendix: Government's viewpoint
Date of Document:
September 2014
Accessed Date:
14 November 2018
Title:
ECRI Conclusions on the implementation of the recommendations in respect of Bulgaria subject to interim follow-up
Source:
Council of Europe. European Commission against Racism and Intolerance.
Date of Document:
16 May 2017
Accessed Date:
14 November 2018
Title:
Concluding observations on the sixth periodic report of Bulgaria
Source:
United Nations. Committee against Torture.
Date of Document:
15 December 2017
Accessed Date:
14 November 2018
Title:
Bulgaria. Value-Based Conflicts in the Regions Between the Oder and the Danube.
Source:
Partners for Democratic Change Slovakia
Editor:
Dušan Ondrušek et al.
Accessed Date:
15 November 2019
3.
Identification Documents and Citizenship
Title:
Law for the Bulgarian Citizenship
Accessed Date:
28 October 2014
Keywords:
children; citizenship; legislation; marriage
Title:
Bulgaria. U.S. Visa: Reciprocity and Civil Documents by Country.
Source:
United States. Department of State.
Accessed Date:
6 November 2019
Title:
Issuing Process of Bulgarian Identity and Travel Documents and the Use of Biometrics
Source:
International Journal of Signal Processing
Author:
Dimitar Georgiev et al.
Accessed Date:
26 September 2017
Title:
Country Report: Bulgaria
Source:
European University Institute. European Union Democracy Observatory on Citizenship.
Date of Document:
May 2013
Author:
Daniel Smilov, Elena Jileva
Accessed Date:
24 October 2016
Title:
Bulgaria. Joint Submission to the Human Rights Council at the 36th Session of the Universal Periodic Review.
Source:
Institute on Statelessness and Inclusion et al.
Date of Document:
3 October 2019
Accessed Date:
15 November 2019
4.
Political Activities and Organizations
Title:
I. Political Transformation. Transformation Index 2018 Country Report: Bulgaria.
Source:
Bertelsmann Stiftung
Accessed Date:
14 November 2018
Title:
Bulgaria. Narodno sabranie (National Assembly).
Source:
Inter-Parliamentary Union. Parline.
Date of Document:
1 March 2018
Accessed Date:
20 November 2018
Title:
Bulgaria. Election for Narodno Sabranie (Bulgarian National Assembly) of 26 March 2017.
Source:
International Foundation for Electoral Systems. Election Guide.
Accessed Date:
6 November 2019
Title:
Bulgaria. Election for President of 13 November 2016.
Source:
International Foundation for Electoral Systems. Election Guide.
Accessed Date:
6 November 2019
5.
Gender, Domestic Violence and Children
Title:
Bulgaria. Social Institutions and Gender Index 2019.
Source:
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development
Date of Document:
7 December 2018
Accessed Date:
11 February 2019
Title:
Bulgaria. WAVE Country Report 2017: The Situation of Women's Specialist Support Services in Europe.
Source:
Women Against Violence Europe
Date of Document:
March 2018
Accessed Date:
20 November 2018
Title:
Protection Against Domestic Violence Act
Accessed Date:
6 November 2019
Title:
Gender Equality Index 2019: Bulgaria
Source:
European Institute for Gender Equality
Date of Document:
7 December 2018
Accessed Date:
15 November 2019
Title:
Bulgaria. Annual Review of the Human Rights Situation of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex People in Europe.
Source:
International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association. ILGA-Europe.
Accessed Date:
6 November 2019
Title:
Protecting LGBTQI rights in Europe
Source:
Transgender Europe et al.
Date of Document:
October 2018
Accessed Date:
6 November 2019
7.
Criminality and Corruption
Title:
Bulgaria: Tier 2. Trafficking in Persons Report 2019.
Source:
United States. Department of State.
Date of Document:
20 June 2019
Accessed Date:
14 August 2019
Title:
Bulgaria. 2019 Crime and Safety Report.
Source:
United States. Overseas Security Advisory Council.
Date of Document:
25 March 2019
Accessed Date:
6 November 2019
Title:
Crimes and Persons Convicted 2018
Source:
Bulgaria. National Statistical Institute.
Date of Document:
4 October 2019
Accessed Date:
15 November 2019
8.
Military Service - (No items in this section)
9.
Judiciary, Legal and Penal Systems
Title:
Report from the Commission to the European Parliament and the Council on Progress in Bulgaria under the Co-operation and Verification Mechanism
Code:
COM(2019) 498 final
Source:
European Commission
Date of Document:
22 October 2019
Accessed Date:
6 November 2019
Title:
The Bulgarian Legal System and Legal Research. Update.
Date of Document:
September 2018
Accessed Date:
6 November 2019
Title:
Report to the Bulgarian Government on the visit to Bulgaria carried out by the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CPT) from 10 to 17 December 2018
Source:
Council of Europe. European Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment.
Date of Document:
11 July 2019
Accessed Date:
6 November 2019
Title:
Response of the Bulgarian Government to the report of the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CPT) on its visit to Bulgaria from 10 to 17 December 2019
Date of Document:
11 July 2019
Accessed Date:
6 November 2019
Title:
Handbook on European law relating to access to justice
Source:
European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights; Council of Europe
Date of Document:
January 2016
Accessed Date:
6 November 2019
Title:
Bulgaria. New threats to the rule of law in Council of Europe member States: selected examples.
Source:
Council of Europe. Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights.
Date of Document:
25 September 2017
Accessed Date:
21 November 2017
Title:
Country report Non-discrimination: Bulgaria 2018
Source:
European Union. European Commission.
Accessed Date:
15 November 2019
10.
Police and Security Forces
Title:
The Normative and Practical Obstacles to Effective Prosecution of Ill-Treatment by Official Persons
Source:
Bulgarian Helsinki Committee
Accessed Date:
8 November 2017
11.
Media Freedoms - (No items in this section)
Title:
Bulgaria. International Religious Freedom Report for 2018.
Source:
United States. Department of State.
Date of Document:
21 June 2019
Accessed Date:
11 July 2019
13.
Nationality, Ethnicity and Race
Title:
Scaling up Roma Inclusion strategies: Truth, reconciliation and justice for addressing antigypsyism
Source:
European Parliament. Policy Department for Citizens' Rights and Constitutional Affairs.
Date of Document:
February 2019
Author:
Sergio Carrera et al.
Accessed Date:
6 November 2019
Title:
Written Submission by the European Roma Rights Centre Concerning Bulgaria to the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, for Consideration at Its 92nd Session (24 April - 12 May 2017)
Source:
European Roma Rights Centre
Date of Document:
20 April 2017
Accessed Date:
26 September 2017
Title:
Advisory Committee on the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities. Third Opinion on Bulgaria Adopted on 11 February 2014.
Code:
ACFC/OP/III(2014)001
Source:
Council of Europe. Advisory Committee on the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities.
Date of Document:
30 July 2014
Accessed Date:
28 October 2014
Keywords:
crime; ethnic and national groups; extremist/terrorist organizations; freedom of assembly; freedom of expression; identity documents; institutional efficacy; legislation; minorities; political organizations; religion
Title:
Resolution CM/ResCMN(2018)2 on the implementation of the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities by Bulgaria
Source:
Council of Europe. Committee of Ministers.
Date of Document:
7 February 2018
Accessed Date:
14 November 2018
Title:
Public Attitudes Towards Hate Speech in Bulgaria in 2018
Source:
Open Society Institute Sofia
Date of Document:
30 November 2018
Accessed Date:
6 November 2019
Title:
Violence against Roma, including by extremist groups; state protection and treatment by police (2013-October 2015)
Source:
Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada
Date of Document:
10 November 2015
Accessed Date:
24 November 2015
Keywords:
crime; ethnic and national groups; extralegal executions/killings; extremist/terrorist organizations; judicial efficacy; legal system; minorities; police/security forces; race; statistics
Title:
Situation of Roma, including access to employment, housing, healthcare, and education; state efforts to improve the conditions for Roma (2013-October 2015)
Source:
Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada
Date of Document:
2 November 2015
Accessed Date:
24 November 2015
Keywords:
children; ethnic and national groups; extremist/terrorist organizations; gender equality; minorities; political organizations; race; social services; statistics
Title:
Fourth Report submitted by Bulgaria pursuant to Article 25, paragraph 2 of the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities
Code:
ACFC/SR/IV(2017)006
Date of Document:
7 December 2017
Accessed Date:
14 November 2018
Title:
Concluding observations on the combined twentieth to twenty-second periodic reports of Bulgaria
Code:
CERD/C/BGR/CO/20-22
Source:
United Nations. Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination.
Date of Document:
31 May 2017
Accessed Date:
26 September 2017
Title:
Consideration of reports submitted by States parties under article 9 of the Convention. Combined twentieth to twenty-second periodic reports of States parties due in 2014: Bulgaria.
Date of Document:
21 March 2016
Accessed Date:
26 September 2017
Title:
Memorandum to the European Commission: Violations of EU Law and Fundamental Rights by Bulgaria's Discriminatory Treatment of Roma in the Area of Housing
Source:
Open Society Foundations. Open Society European Policy Institute.
Date of Document:
February 2017
Accessed Date:
26 September 2017
14.
Exit/Entry and Freedom of Movement
Title:
European Union: Application of the Protocol on Asylum for Nationals of Member States of the European Union (2013-June 2015)
Source:
Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada
Date of Document:
9 July 2015
Accessed Date:
31 July 2015
Title:
European Union: Freedom of movement, residency and social security regulations for European Union (EU) nationals who move to other EU countries; the situation of Czech, Hungarian, and Slovak nationals who move to other EU countries, including...
Source:
Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada
Date of Document:
16 July 2015
Accessed Date:
31 July 2015
15.
Labour, Employment and Unions - (No items in this section)
16.
Other - (No items in this section)
The following changes have been made to the previous package dated 29 November 2019:
Title:
Bulgaria. Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2018.
Source:
United States. Department of State.
Date of Document:
13 March 2019
URL:
https://www.state.gov/reports/2018-country-reports-on-human-rights-practices/bulgaria/
Accessed Date:
19 March 2019
Disclaimer
National Documentation Packages (NDPs) include country-of-origin information that is publicly accessible at the time of publication and available within time constraints. While the Research Directorate strives to maintain the
NDP with current information, the research is not exhaustive and country conditions can change rapidly. Members of the public are invited to
suggest documents they feel are relevant to the
NDP.
NDPs are not, and do not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim for refugee protection. Rather, they are intended to support the refugee determination process. The assessment and weight to be given to the information in the
NDPs are the responsibility of independent
IRB members (decision-makers) after considering the evidence and arguments presented by the parties.
All sources are fully cited, including a hyperlink, to facilitate the location of the information. The
IRB will attempt to ensure that these links are maintained for the most recent
NDP. It cannot guarantee or be responsible for:
- the functionality of links to external sources,
- the content accessed by these links,
- the availability of external content in both English and French,
- any other part of a third party website.
The information presented in
NDPs solely reflects the views and perspectives of the sources cited and does not necessarily reflect the position of the
IRB or the Government of Canada.