Anti-LGBTI hate crime

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) supported a training event addressing hate crimes against LGBT people for the employees of the Asylum and Legal Units of the State Migration Service of Armenia.

Following its Universal Periodic Review (UPR), the Austrian authorities made the commitment to examine and respond to the recommendation to ensure that law enforcement officials conduct thorough and prompt investigations into hate crimes against LGBT people.

In its fourth report on Azerbaijan, the European Commission against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI) recommended that colour, language, citizenship and ethnic origin be included as protected characteristics in the criminal law provisions dealing with hate crimes. It also stated that LGBT people should be better protected in law and in practice. ECRI also highlighted the need for the police and prosecution services to thoroughly investigate all cases of hate crime and conduct outreach to groups likely to be targeted.

Following its Universal Periodic Review (UPR), the Bulgarian authorities made the commitment to examine and respond to recommendations to enhance efforts to ensure that hate crimes are effectively investigated and prosecuted, including those perpetrated against LGBT people, migrants, refugees and asylum-seekers. Other such recommendations included encouraging the reporting and proper recording of hate crimes, strengthening data-collection systems and providing training on hate crimes to law enforcement and judicial authorities.

In its "Concluding observations on the third periodic report of Croatia", the United Nations Human Rights Committee (HRC) called for strengthened efforts to combat racist attacks committed by law enforcement personnel, including against Roma people, by providing training and ensuring that hate crimes are properly investigated and prosecuted. The HRC highlighted the need to counter hate crimes against LGBT people, by ensuring that they are thoroughly investigated and offenders are prosecuted and sanctioned.

In its fifth report on France, the European Commission against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI) recommended amendments to the Criminal Code to include racist, homophobic and transphobic motivations as aggravating circumstances in criminal offences. ECRI also recommended that the authorities establish partnerships with civil society organizations working with Roma communities and people with disabilities to overcome under-reporting and to ensure that hate crime data-collection systems allow the disaggregation of data and the tracking of cases through the criminal justice system.

Following its Universal Periodic Review (UPR), the Georgian authorities supported recommendations to address hate crimes motivated by bias related to sexual orientation or gender identity and to develop training programmes on hate crimes for police and judges, which the authorities consider already implemented or in the process of implementation. The Georgian authorities made the commitment to examine and respond to recommendations to establish a specialized police unit for investigating hate crimes and to increase the powers of the public defender's office.

In its fourth report on Georgia, the European Commission against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI) recommended the creation of a unified hate crime database, the creation of a police unit specialized in hate crime, and that training programmes for law enforcement officials and the judiciary be augmented and include information on hate crime against LGBT people. ECRI also called for the effective investigation and prosecution of all hate crime cases, notably hate crimes against Muslims.

The Commissioner for Human Rights of the Council of Europe, in his "Update on the human rights situation," recommended adequately identifying, qualifying, investigating and prosecuting hate crimes, including those on the grounds of sexual orientation and gender identity; and acknowledged the recommendations on hate crimes issued by Georgia’s chief prosecutor.

Following its Universal Periodic Review (UPR), the Kyrgyz authorities expressed support for the recommendation to undertake necessary measures to prevent violence against LGBT people. The Kyrgyz authorities made the commitment to examine and respond to the recommendation to take additional steps to counter violence against LGBT people.

In its fifth report on Lithuania, the European Commission against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI) recommended that the Criminal Code be amended to include colour, citizenship and gender identity as protected characteristics. ECRI also observed the need for further training for police officers, prosecutors and judges on how to approach hate crimes.

Following its Universal Periodic Review (UPR), the Mongolian authorities made the commitment to examine and respond to recommendations to amend the country’s criminal legislation to include sexual orientation and gender identity as protected characteristics, to enhance its efforts to counter hate crime motivated by bias against these characteristics, and to collect data on hate crimes against LGBT people.

In its fifth report on the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, the European Commission against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI) recommended that the Criminal Code be amended to include sexual orientation and gender identity as protected characteristics. ECRI also suggested that hate crime training for law enforcement personnel and the judiciary be expanded, and under-reporting of hate crimes be addressed through confidence-building measures.

The Commissioner for Human Rights of the Council of Europe, in the annual activity report following his country visit to San Marino, recommended including gender identity as a protected characteristic in the criminal code.

The Commissioner for Human Rights of the Council of Europe, in the annual activity report following his country visit to Slovakia, recommended including gender identity as a protected characteristic in the criminal code. The Commissioner also expressed concern at the manifestations of intolerance against Roma and Sinti people, and called on the authorities to improve the registration of hate crimes, including through the training of police.

Following its Universal Periodic Review (UPR), the Turkish authorities expressed support for the recommendation to ensure the investigation, prosecution and sentencing of hate crimes motivated by the victim’s sexual orientation or gender identity. The Turkish authorities consider these measures already implemented or being implemented. Turkey committed itself to examine and respond to recommendations to amend criminal legislation to explicitly prohibit hate crimes against LGBT people and to publish disaggregated data on such hate crimes.