Montenegro
Montenegro has reported information on hate crimes to ODIHR, most recently for the 2023 and 2024 Hate Crime Reports.
In 2013, Montenegro's Police were trained under ODIHR's Training Against Hate Crimes for Law Enforcement (TAHCLE), followed by cascading in 2013-2022 and the 2022 ODIHR refresher training. In 2023, ODIHR delivered the training-of-trainers to Montenegro’s prosecutors and judges on the Prosecutors and Hate Crime Training (PAHCT) programme.
In 2017, Montenegro adopted measures to facilitate the effective prosecution of hate crimes following the judgment of the European Court of Human Rights in the case of Alkovic v. Montenegro (No. 66895/10). In 2023, Montenegro amended legislation to include public acts provoking or inciting racial and religious hatred (Article 370), as well as special circumstances for sentencing hate crimes (Article 42a).
OFFICIAL DATA REPORTED BY STATES
| Year | Hate crimes recorded by police | Prosecuted | Sentenced |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 3 | 0 | 749 |
| 2023 | 19 | 4 | 623 |
| 2022 | 3 | Not available | 602 |
| 2021 | 7 | - | 5 |
| 2020 | Not available | Not available | Not available |
| 2019 | 31 | - | 3 |
| 2018 | - | 0 | 1 |
| 2017 | Not available | Not available | 1 |
| 2016 | Not available | Not available | Not available |
| 2015 | Not available | Not available | Not available |
| 2014 | Not available | Not available | 0 |
| 2013 | Not available | Not available | Not available |
| 2012 | Not available | Not available | Not available |
| 2011 | Not available | Not available | Not available |
| 2010 | Not available | Not available | Not available |
| 2009 | Not available | Not available | Not available |
About 2024 Data
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In addition to the above, one police-recorded incident and one prosecuted incident (an incitement offence under Article 370 of Montenegro's Criminal Code) were excluded as falling outside the OSCE hate crime definition.
The number of sentenced cases may also include cases of hate speech, which fall outside the OSCE hate crime definition.
Hate crime recorded by police
The breakdown below excludes one case of violence at a sporting event that falls outside the OSCE hate crime definition. As more than one bias motivation can be recorded for each incident, the number in the breakdown chart below is higher than the total number of police-recorded incidents above.
KEY OBSERVATION
ODIHR recognizes Montenegro's efforts to report hate crime information and statistics to ODIHR. However, based on the available information, ODIHR observes that Montenegro's hate crime recording and statistics do not sufficiently distinguish hate crimes from other crimes, while the number of prosecuted hate crimes remain very low. In addition, ODIHR observes that Montenegro would benefit from developing its victim support system to ensure effective access to justice, assistance, and protection services for hate crime victims.
ODIHR recalls that in Ministerial Council Decision 9/09, OSCE participating States committed to collecting reliable data and statistics in sufficient detail on hate crimes, including the bias motivation of hate crimes, and to reporting such data periodically to ODIHR. Participating States also committed to providing hate crime victims with access to counselling, legal assistance, and effective access to justice, as well as to promoting positive interaction between police and victims of hate crimes by training front-line officers, including on referrals to victim assistance and protection.
ODIHR stands ready to support Montenegro in meeting the relevant commitments through its comprehensive resources and tailored assistance in the area of hate crime recording and data collection, as well as through its further resources and assistance on hate crime victim support.
OVERVIEW OF INCIDENTS REPORTED BY CIVIL SOCIETY
For 2024, ODIHR received only one report from the following civil society organization in Montenegro:
- European Association of Jehovah’s Witnesses
To learn more about this organization, visit the Contributors page.
All incidents submitted by the above organizations have been analysed by ODIHR. Those that are broadly considered to be hate crimes within the OSCE definition (criminal offence committed with a bias motive) are listed in the tables below according to the bias motivation category. Some incidents involved multiple biases and may be listed in multiple categories.
ODIHR’s insightsFor 2024, ODIHR received just one report of an anti-Christian hate incident targeting two Jehovah’s Witness men in Montenegro. It should be noted that ODIHR did not receive any reporting related to anti-Semitic, anti-Muslim, anti-Roma, anti-LGBTI, gender-based or disability hate incidents in Montenegro. This indicates gaps in the information reported here. |
Please note that incidents reported here are based on voluntary civil society submissions and as such may not reflect the actual number of incidents or the most targeted communities in Montenegro.
To address under-reporting, ODIHR encourages any civil society organizations or groups that monitor hate incidents in Montenegro to report these to ODIHR at hatecrimereport@odihr.pl.
To export an Excel sheet with summaries of all incidents from Montenegro click here and search by year and country.
CIVIL SOCIETY INCIDENT SUMMARIES
Anti-Christian hate crime
| Date | Type of incident | Source | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-01 | Threats/Harassment | Jehovah's Witnesses
|
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INTERNATIONAL REPORTS
Racist and xenophobic hate crime
The United Nations Human Rights Council (HRC) published relevant recommendations in its "Concluding observations on the second periodic report of Montenegro".