Author
Up to the moment, no cases of discrimination based on nationality was reported concerning the reception system. However, some of the reception centres are used for accommodation predominantly of a certain nationality or nationalities. For example, prior to its closure, Vrazhdebna shelter in Sofia accommodated predominantly Syrians and Iraqis, Voenna Rampa shelter in Sofia accommodates almost exclusively Afghan and Pakistani asylum seekers, while the other reception centres accommodate mixed nationalities, such as in Harmanli reception centre, Banya reception centre and Ovcha Kupel shelter in Sofia. The government had also assigned Vrazhdebna shelter in Sofia to host applicants coming through the relocation scheme in 2015-2017 as well as for those resettled from Türkiye. At the end of 2023, following a fire in Vrazhdebna shelter and overpopulated Ovcha Kupel shelter, and vis-à-vis still significant Afghan applicants absconding, SAR began[1] to accommodate applicants from Syria and other Arab countries in Voenna Rampa shelter, which by the end of 2023 hosted asylum seekers from mixed ethnicities, thus creating higher risks of conflicts.
[1] 127th Coordination Meeting, 28 December 2023.