Albania
Albania last reported information on hate crimes to ODIHR for the 2024 Hate Crime Report. In co-operation with the OSCE Presence in Albania, Albania has trained law enforcement officers on hate crimes. Following an ODIHR workshop held in 2017, Albania made improvements to its hate crime data recording system, enabling the identification of biased motivations in recorded cases.
In 2021, Albania introduced the National Gender Equality Strategy 2021-2030, which includes specific measures to combat discrimination and hate crimes and promote equality and social inclusion.
In 2024, Albania introduced the Crime Victims Protection Strategy 2024-2030.
OFFICIAL DATA REPORTED BY STATES
| Year | Hate crimes recorded by police | Prosecuted | Sentenced |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 9 | Not available | Not available |
| 2023 | 2 | Not available | Not available |
| 2022 | Not available | Not available | Not available |
| 2021 | Not available | Not available | Not available |
| 2020 | 0 | Not available | Not available |
| 2019 | Not available | Not available | Not available |
| 2018 | Not available | Not available | Not available |
| 2017 | 1 | 1 | Not available |
| 2016 | Not available | Not available | Not available |
| 2015 | Not available | 2 | Not available |
| 2014 | Not available | Not available | Not available |
| 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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The total number of cases recorded by police does not include an additional 21 cases of insults, the dissemination of racist or xenophobic material, discrimination and incitement to hatred, as these cases fall outside the OSCE hate crime definition.
Hate crime recorded by police
Altogether 30 criminal offences committed with a bias motive were recorded by the police. However, of these, 21 constituted criminal forms of hate speech and/or discrimination and as such were excluded from the bias motivation breakdown chart below.
KEY OBSERVATION
ODIHR recognizes Albania's efforts to report information and statistics on hate crimes to ODIHR. Based on the official information, ODIHR observes that Albania's hate crime recording and statistics do not sufficiently distinguish hate crimes from other crimes, while the number of officially recorded hate crimes is low. ODIHR also observes that Albania has not reported data on hate crimes recorded by the prosecution and the judiciary to ODIHR. In addition, ODIHR observes that Albania would benefit from raising awareness among and building the capacity of law enforcement and criminal justice officials to address hate crime.
ODIHR recalls that in Ministerial Council Decision 9/09, OSCE participating States committed to collecting reliable data and statistics on hate crimes. Participating States have also committed to introducing or further developing professional training and capacity-building activities for law enforcement, prosecution, and judicial officials dealing with hate crimes. ODIHR stands ready to support Albania in meeting the relevant commitments through the provision of comprehensive resources and tailored assistance in the area of hate crime recording and data collection, as well as by providing further resources and tailored capacity-building assistance for police, prosecution, and judiciary.
OVERVIEW OF INCIDENTS REPORTED BY CIVIL SOCIETY
For 2024, ODIHR did not receive any reports of hate incidents in Albania from civil society organizations. This is not an indication that hate crimes are not taking place, only that they have not been reported to civil society or to ODIHR.
To address under-reporting, ODIHR encourages any civil society organizations or groups that monitor hate incidents in Albania to report these to ODIHR at hatecrimereport@odihr.pl.