Rositsa Dzhekova

19 data files, 25 documentary filesCreated by the EU-funded research project GREASE (http://grease.eui.eu), the GREASE Indicators are intended as an instrument to help scholars, policymakers and other stakeholders identify trends and monitor developments in state-religion relations, secularism, governance of religious diversity and violent radicalisation. These Indicators (metrics) can be applied using the GREASE Toolkit, which can be used to produce 23 country assessments. The GREASE Indicators Toolkit is a practical instrument designed for use by experts in producing country-level assessments. The aim is to enable policymakers, scholars and civil society to monitor developments and trends

This report presents the results from a qualitative case study aimed at exploring the relevance of a framework of generic indicators for detection of risks of Islamist radicalization to the national context of Bulgaria. The study is designed on the premise that the formulation of risk indicators in relevance to the context of Bulgaria should be based on an understanding of the actual processes that may lead to Islamist radicalisation and the root causes and driving factors lying behind it. As no such studies have yet been conducted in Bulgaria, a qualitative case study was designed and conducted to serve in attaining understanding about the vulnerabilities to Islamist radicalisation among a group considered at risk. In this respect, the qualitative case study will aid the conduct of a future discussion on the formulation of radicalisation and vulnerability indicators relevant for the context of Bulgaria.

This report focuses on Bulgaria’s national structural and contextual approaches and strategies towards radicalisation and violent extremism. The report offers an overview of these phenomena in the country, reviews what the scientific and academic research has produced so far about the particular drivers for radicalisation, and identifies the actors and initiatives deploying Countering/Preventing Violent Extremism (C/PVE) strategies in the country. It assesses the weight of socio-political drivers in current approaches to radicalisation and violent extremism in the country, particularly towards young people. And it also explores how a socially-rooted approach might fit into the current dominant paradigm of P/CVE.

Bulgaria has taken important steps to address these issues though the focus is primarily on Islamist radicalisation, despite the fact that far-right extremism is also a significant challenge. Тhere’s a need to develop a more comprehensive understanding and evidence-based knowledge of radicalisation in order to better prevent and counter violent extremism. An effort where the engagement of key non-state actors such as civil society and religious communities should be enhanced.

Тhe chapter “Vigilantism against ethnic minorities and migrants in Bulgaria” analyses the rise of various formations in the country, which is located on the “Balkan migration route” and has significant Roma minority. This migration route provides the reason for the most recent manifestation of vigilantism in the country, namely anti-migrant patrols and arrests at the Bulgarian-Turkish border. Nevertheless, ad-hoc and less organized manifestations of vigilantism, predominantly against the Roma, have been observed prior to the migrant crisis. The wider political context is crucial in understanding the phenomenon in Bulgaria, as vigilantism should be considered as a phenomenon emerging in the context of the political, societal and economic crisis in the country during the post-communist period of the nineties and its lingering implications. The recent wave of anti-immigrant vigilante groups is also analysed within the context of a persistent “systematic crisis feeling”, which remains endemic in the country and which was exacerbated by the scale and intensity of the crisis.

The edited volume "Vigilantism against Migrants and Minorities" traces the rise of far right vigilante movements – some who have been involved in serious violence against minorities, migrants and other vulnerable groups in society, whereas other vigilantes are intimidating but avoid using violence. Written by an international team of contributors, the book features case studies from Western Europe, Eastern Europe, North America, and Asia. This is a groundbreaking volume which will be of particular interest to scholars with an interest in the extreme right, social movements, political violence, policing and criminology.

The Volume Private Security in Practice: Case studies from Southeast Europe presents eight case studies that explore the impact that private security has on security, human rights and the democratic order in four Southeast European countries: Albania, Bulgaria, Kosovo and Serbia. Since regulation should not only limit the negative impact but also foster the positive contribution that private security can make, the authors specifically looked at how challenges posed by PSCs could be avoided and how opportunities can be seized.

Broadly, the case studies cover four governance challenges: the development of the private security market, particularly in relation to the state’s retreat from its monopoly on security provision (Part 1); the role of private security in the protection of critical infrastructure (Part 2); the state as a client of private security companies and the impact of public procurement processes on the private security market (Part 3); and the success and failure of different policies aimed at improving the professionalism of private security personnel (Part 4). Previous research by the authors demonstrated that these policy issues are important for each of the four target countries. However, it is worth noting that other pressing policy questions regarding private security exist in these countries, and the authors’ choice does not indicate that the topics discussed are necessarily more pertinent or urgent than others.

In the context of the escalation of extremist Islamist violence in many EC countries today, the issue of the risks of home grown Islamist radicalisation in Bulgaria is the subject of heated public debates. Preventing and studying (Islamist) radicalisation has become a priority in Europe, giving rise to wealth of publications that explore its motives and causes as well as the processes whereby individuals and groups come to espouse extremist ideas and engage in violent actions. Such studies are lacking in Bulgaria while worries about the potential influence that international terrorist organisations and the related Islamist extremist ideologies could exert in the country are rising. This working paper presents the results from a qualitative study aiming to attain understanding about the vulnerabilities to Islamist radicalisation among a group of inhabitants of the “Iztok” neighborhood of the city of Pazardjik who are considered at risk. The study explores the root causes and the social meaning of the adoption of Salafi interpretations of Islam on the part of sub group local Roma and the root causes and the social meaning of certain manifestations of sympathy with radical Islamist ideas and organisations among some members of the group. Careful attention is paid to the factors and channels through which the two processes are fostered. A discussion is provided to the issue of the vulnerabilities to potential radicalisation among members of the group of Roma professing Salafi interpretation of Islam.

Radicalisation processes impacting on disaffected and indoctrinated persons and the later involvement of some of them in acts of terrorism are of growing concern for European citizens, their governments and the wider international community. Addressing this threat requires effective prevention policies which some EU member states have been proactive in developing. Effective policies need reliable diagnostic tools designed to identify individuals and groups who might pose a threat.

The publication provides a review of existing approaches and tools to identifying, monitoring and assessing radicalisation in Europe and beyond. It further offers a conceptual framework of radicalisation risk and vulnerability indicators and their interpretation as a basis for developing early-warning mechanisms for frontline practitioners in countries which are yet to develop specific prevention and counter-radicalisation policies. The target group of the guide are policymakers at national and EU levels, as well as practitioners directly involved in the prevention of radicalisation in Central and Eastern Europe and beyond.

The phenomena of radicalisation today develop and change at high speed, with their extreme forms manifested globally. The destructive dimensions of (violent) Islamist or right-wing radicalisation have become dramatically visible in Europe posing serious challenges to European societies at large. This report aims to address a knowledge gap with regard to how and to what extent internationally observed radicalisation processes are manifested in Bulgaria. Four different forms of radicalisation are investigated, including Islamist radicalisation, right-wing and left-wing radicalisation, as well as football hooliganism. The report provides policy makers and the expert community with a systematic overview of the main risks to which the Bulgarian society is exposed, as well as of the main actors and ideas, the repertoire of actions and the groups at risk associated with radicalisation. The report outlines recommendations for improvement of the policy and institutional response with regard to radicalisation by way of monitoring and prevention measures as well as multi agency collaboration and community engagement.

Adopting a multi-disciplinary and comparative approach, the book “Dirty Assets. Emerging Issues in the Regulation of Criminal and Terrorist Assets” focuses on the emerging and innovative aspects of attempts to target the accumulated assets of those engaged in criminal and terrorist activity, organized crime and corruption. It examines the ‘follow-the-money’ approach and explores the nature of criminal, civil and regulatory responses used to attack the financial assets of those engaged in financial crime in order to deter and disrupt future criminal activity as well as terrorism networks. With contributions from leading international academics and practitioners in the fields of law, economics, financial management, criminology, sociology and political science, the book explores law and practice in countries with significant problems and experiences, revealing new insights into these dilemmas. It also discusses the impact of the ‘follow-the-money’ approach on human rights while also assessing effectiveness.

In Chapter 5 “Civil Forfeiture of Criminal Assets in Bulgaria”, Rositsa Dzhekova examines the practical obstacles to the implementation of civil forfeiture in Bulgaria, taking into consideration key institutional, legislative and policy factors that shape the application of the Law on Forfeiture of Proceeds of Criminal Activity. She argues that the socio-cultural specifics of organized crime in Bulgaria, as well as the broader context of the existing policies for countering organized crime, have a strong determinant effect on the resistance to an effective and efficient forfeiture regime.

The publication reviews the policies and institutional mechanisms for countering police corruption in several EU member states. To be effective, anti-corruption efforts should be based on a system of independent and mutually accountable institutions which are sufficiently empowered to implement their objectives. This report emphasises the last two decades of experience in the UK, Belgium and Austria in modernising their anti-corruption policies and institutions. In addition to the institutional and legal framework, concrete measures and methods (risk assessment, integrity tests, etc.) are also examined. The Bulgarian and Romanian experience in countering corruption in law enforcement institutions is also reviewed with an emphasis on some of the main problems and gaps that undermine effective counter measures.

The purpose of this study is twofold – first, to provide border guards with a general overview of the relevant academic and policy research available on the subject of corruption; and second, to review and analyse mechanisms of corruption and the principal anti-corruption measures targeting them in the public security sector generally and in the area of border control institutions more specifically. As there is relatively little empirical work on the effectiveness of anti-corruption measures in law enforcement in general, the study reviewed, compared and analysed anti-corruption measures in place in EU MS border guard services, as well as methods used in investigations into corruption in border guards.