Armenia
Armenia regularly reports hate crime data to ODIHR. Armenia implemented ODIHR's programmes on Prosecutors and Hate Crime Training (PAHCT) and Training Against Hate Crime for Law Enforcement (TAHCLE) in 2021 and 2022, respectively.
In 2023, amendments to hate crime provisions in the Criminal Code of Armenia were developed within the framework of a parliamentary initiative in coordination with civil society. The amendments came into force in 2024.
The Government of Armenia has adopted an Action Plan stemming from the National Strategy for the Protection of Human Rights (2023-2025). The Plan contains a number of measures to counter hate crimes. Action 4.7 provides for the development of guidelines for investigating cases of hate crime, hate speech, and discrimination for the police, investigative agencies, and the prosecutor's office.
Hate crime data collection in Armenia
Support for hate crime victims in Armenia
Hate crime capacity building in Armenia
Armenia's hate crime legislation
OFFICIAL DATA REPORTED BY STATES
| Year | Hate crimes recorded by police | Prosecuted | Sentenced |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 6 | 4 | 1 |
| 2023 | 12 | 68 | Not available |
| 2022 | 5 | 41 | 0 |
| 2021 | 68 | 9 | 3 |
| 2020 | 19 | 164 | 1 |
| 2019 | Not available | Not available | Not available |
| 2018 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2017 | 14 | 1 | Not available |
| 2016 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| 2015 | Not available | Not available | Not available |
| 2014 | 0 | 0 | 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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Police data include cases recorded by the Information Centre of the Police of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Armenia.
Prosecuted cases are provided by the Investigative Committee and the General Prosecutor's Office, and include one case of physical assault committed with an anti-LGBTI motivation, two cases of harassment committed with a racist or unspecified motivation, and one case of damage to property committed with an anti-Semitic motivation.
The sentencing decision relates to a case of physical assault. The year-to-year drop in the numbers in the table above is due, among other possible factors, to changes in ODIHR's methodology, specifically the exclusion of cases of incitement to hatred, incitement to discrimination and incitement to violence.
Hate crime recorded by police
Data reported by police are not disaggregated by bias motivation. Eleven cases of incitement to hatred, incitement to discrimination or incitement to violence were reported by the authorities but are not presented below as they fall outside the OSCE's hate crime definition.
KEY OBSERVATION
ODIHR recognizes Armenia's efforts to report hate crime information and data to ODIHR. However, based on the available information, it observes that law enforcement agencies in Armenia do not record the bias motivations of hate crimes, while the numbers of officially recorded hate crimes are low. In addition, ODIHR observes that Armenia would benefit from strengthening collaboration with civil society and facilitating their work on hate crimes, including victim support.
ODIHR recalls that in the Ministerial Council Decision 9/09, OSCE participating States committed to promptly investigating hate crimes and ensuring that the motives of those convicted of hate crimes are acknowledged. To that end, law enforcement agencies must first record the bias motivation of hate crimes.
In Ministerial Council Decisions 9/09 and 13/06, OSCE participating States committed to taking a proactive and inclusive approach towards civil society, which plays a key role in addressing hate crimes comprehensively, and to reaching out to and providing assistance to hate crime victims and victimized communities. ODIHR stands ready to support Armenia in meeting these commitments through its comprehensive resources and tailored assistance in hate crime recording and data collection, as well as further resources and assistance to enhance co-operation between state authorities and civil society on hate crime.
OVERVIEW OF INCIDENTS REPORTED BY CIVIL SOCIETY
For 2024, ODIHR received reports of hate incidents in Armenia from the following civil society organizations:
- New Generation Armenia
- Eurasian Coalition on Health, Rights, Gender and Sexual Diversity (ECOM)
- "Right Side" Human Rights Defender NGO
- International Institute for Religious Freedom (IIRF)
- Pink Armenia
To learn more about these organizations, visit the Contributors page.
In addition, some incidents were recorded as part of UNHCR’s ongoing monitoring.
All incidents submitted by the above organizations have been analysed by ODIHR. Those that were 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 and a summary description is provided. Some incidents involved multiple biases and may be listed in multiple categories.
ODIHR’s insightsFor 2024, ODIHR received reports of 49 incidents that took place in Armenia in the following five bias motivation categories: racist and xenophobic, gender-based, anti-LGBTI, anti-Semitic and anti-Christian. Most incidents reported to ODIHR in Armenia were anti-LGBTI incidents. Of these, a significant number of incidents were classified as being both anti-LGBTI and gender-based. In addition, several incidents involved both racist and xenophobic and anti-LGBTI bias motivations. ODIHR observes that a significant number of incidents reported in Armenia targeted the LGBTI community, including several incidents of physical assaults committed by family members known to the victim. Several gay men were also specifically targeted in incidents involving blackmail or violent robbery. It should be noted that ODIHR did not receive any reporting on Armenia relating to disability hate incidents. This indicates potential gaps in the information reported here. |
Please note that incidents reported here are based on voluntary civil society submissions and as such might not reflect the actual number of incidents or the most targeted communities in Armenia.
To address under-reporting, ODIHR encourages any civil society organizations or groups that monitor hate incidents in Armenia to report these to ODIHR at hatecrimereport@odihr.pl.
To export an Excel sheet with summaries of all incidents from Armenia click here and search by year and country.
CIVIL SOCIETY INCIDENT SUMMARIES
Racist and xenophobic hate crime
| Date | Type of incident | Source | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-09 | Violent attacks against people | "New Generation" Humanitarian Non-Governmental Organization
Eurasian Coalition on Health, Rights, Gender and Sexual Diversity
|
Show info |
| 2024-06 | Threats/Harassment | Eurasian Coalition on Health, Rights, Gender and Sexual Diversity
|
Show info |
| 2024-08 | Violent attacks against people | "New Generation" Humanitarian Non-Governmental Organization
Eurasian Coalition on Health, Rights, Gender and Sexual Diversity
|
Show info |
Anti-Semitic hate crime
| Date | Type of incident | Source | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-06 | Attacks against property | International Institute for Religious Freedom (IIRF).
|
Show info |
Anti-Christian hate crime
| Date | Type of incident | Source | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-07 | Violent attacks against people | UNHCR
|
Show info |
Gender-based hate crime
| Date | Type of incident | Source | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-06 | Threats/Harassment | Eurasian Coalition on Health, Rights, Gender and Sexual Diversity
|
Show info |
| 2024-03 | Violent attacks against people | Eurasian Coalition on Health, Rights, Gender and Sexual Diversity
|
Show info |
| 2024 | Threats/Harassment | Eastern European Coalition for LGBT+ Equality
Pink Armenia
|
Show info |
| 2024-09 | Threats/Harassment | Eurasian Coalition on Health, Rights, Gender and Sexual Diversity
|
Show info |
| 2024-02 | Threats/Harassment | "New Generation" Humanitarian Non-Governmental Organization
|
Show info |
| 2024-02 | Violent attacks against people | "New Generation" Humanitarian Non-Governmental Organization
|
Show info |
| 2024-07 | Violent attacks against people | Eurasian Coalition on Health, Rights, Gender and Sexual Diversity
|
Show info |
| 2024-07 | Violent attacks against people | "Right Side" Human Rights Defender NGO
|
Show info |
| 2024-06 | Violent attacks against people | "Right Side" Human Rights Defender NGO
|
Show info |
| 2024-09 | Threats/Harassment | "Right Side" Human Rights Defender NGO
|
Show info |
| 2024-09 | Violent attacks against people | "Right Side" Human Rights Defender NGO
|
Show info |
| 2024-01 | Threats/Harassment | "New Generation" Humanitarian Non-Governmental Organization
|
Show info |
| 2024-02 | Violent attacks against people | "New Generation" Humanitarian Non-Governmental Organization
|
Show info |
| 2024-03 | Violent attacks against people | "New Generation" Humanitarian Non-Governmental Organization
|
Show info |
| 2024-08 | Violent attacks against people | "New Generation" Humanitarian Non-Governmental Organization
|
Show info |
| 2024-02 | Violent attacks against people | Eastern European Coalition for LGBT+ Equality
Pink Armenia
|
Show info |
Anti-LGBTI hate crime
| Date | Type of incident | Source | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-06 | Threats/Harassment | Eurasian Coalition on Health, Rights, Gender and Sexual Diversity
|
Show info |
| 2024-03 | Violent attacks against people | Eurasian Coalition on Health, Rights, Gender and Sexual Diversity
|
Show info |
| 2024-06 | Violent attacks against people | Eurasian Coalition on Health, Rights, Gender and Sexual Diversity
|
Show info |
| 2024 | Threats/Harassment | Eastern European Coalition for LGBT+ Equality
Pink Armenia
|
Show info |
| 2024-09 | Violent attacks against people | "New Generation" Humanitarian Non-Governmental Organization
Eurasian Coalition on Health, Rights, Gender and Sexual Diversity
|
Show info |
| 2024 | Threats/Harassment | Eastern European Coalition for LGBT+ Equality
Pink Armenia
|
Show info |
| 2024-06 | Threats/Harassment | Eurasian Coalition on Health, Rights, Gender and Sexual Diversity
|
Show info |
| 2024-02 | Threats/Harassment | "New Generation" Humanitarian Non-Governmental Organization
|
Show info |
| 2024-02 | Threats/Harassment | "New Generation" Humanitarian Non-Governmental Organization
|
Show info |
| 2024-02 | Violent attacks against people | "New Generation" Humanitarian Non-Governmental Organization
|
Show info |
| 2024-09 | Threats/Harassment | "New Generation" Humanitarian Non-Governmental Organization
|
Show info |
| 2024-02 | Violent attacks against people | Eastern European Coalition for LGBT+ Equality
Pink Armenia
|
Show info |
| 2024-02 | Violent attacks against people | Eastern European Coalition for LGBT+ Equality
Pink Armenia
|
Show info |
| 2024-07 | Violent attacks against people | Eurasian Coalition on Health, Rights, Gender and Sexual Diversity
|
Show info |
| 2024-07 | Violent attacks against people | Eurasian Coalition on Health, Rights, Gender and Sexual Diversity
|
Show info |
| 2024-08 | Violent attacks against people | "New Generation" Humanitarian Non-Governmental Organization
Eurasian Coalition on Health, Rights, Gender and Sexual Diversity
|
Show info |
| 2024-07 | Violent attacks against people | "Right Side" Human Rights Defender NGO
|
Show info |
| 2024-06 | Violent attacks against people | "Right Side" Human Rights Defender NGO
|
Show info |
| 2024-09 | Threats/Harassment | "Right Side" Human Rights Defender NGO
|
Show info |
| 2024-09 | Violent attacks against people | "Right Side" Human Rights Defender NGO
|
Show info |
| 2024-01 | Threats/Harassment | "New Generation" Humanitarian Non-Governmental Organization
|
Show info |
| 2024-01 | Violent attacks against people | "New Generation" Humanitarian Non-Governmental Organization
|
Show info |
| 2024-02 | Violent attacks against people | "New Generation" Humanitarian Non-Governmental Organization
|
Show info |
| 2024-02 | Violent attacks against people | "New Generation" Humanitarian Non-Governmental Organization
|
Show info |
| 2024-03 | Violent attacks against people | "New Generation" Humanitarian Non-Governmental Organization
|
Show info |
| 2024-04 | Violent attacks against people | "New Generation" Humanitarian Non-Governmental Organization
|
Show info |
| 2024-05 | Violent attacks against people | "New Generation" Humanitarian Non-Governmental Organization
|
Show info |
| 2024-06 | Violent attacks against people | "New Generation" Humanitarian Non-Governmental Organization
|
Show info |
| 2024-07 | Threats/Harassment | "New Generation" Humanitarian Non-Governmental Organization
|
Show info |
| 2024-07 | Violent attacks against people | "New Generation" Humanitarian Non-Governmental Organization
|
Show info |
| 2024-08 | Violent attacks against people | "New Generation" Humanitarian Non-Governmental Organization
|
Show info |
| 2024-08 | Threats/Harassment | "New Generation" Humanitarian Non-Governmental Organization
|
Show info |
| 2024-08 | Threats/Harassment | "New Generation" Humanitarian Non-Governmental Organization
|
Show info |
| 2024-11 | Threats/Harassment | "New Generation" Humanitarian Non-Governmental Organization
|
Show info |
| 2024-12 | Violent attacks against people | "New Generation" Humanitarian Non-Governmental Organization
|
Show info |
| 2024-05 | Threats/Harassment | "New Generation" Humanitarian Non-Governmental Organization
|
Show info |
| 2024-07 | Violent attacks against people | Eurasian Coalition on Health, Rights, Gender and Sexual Diversity
|
Show info |
| 2024 | Violent attacks against people | Eastern European Coalition for LGBT+ Equality
Pink Armenia
|
Show info |
| 2024-04 | Threats/Harassment | Eastern European Coalition for LGBT+ Equality
Pink Armenia
|
Show info |
| 2024 | Violent attacks against people | Eastern European Coalition for LGBT+ Equality
Pink Armenia
|
Show info |
| 2024-02 | Violent attacks against people | Eastern European Coalition for LGBT+ Equality
Pink Armenia
|
Show info |
| 2024 | Threats/Harassment | Eastern European Coalition for LGBT+ Equality
Pink Armenia
|
Show info |
| 2024 | Threats/Harassment | Eastern European Coalition for LGBT+ Equality
Pink Armenia
|
Show info |
| 2024 | Threats/Harassment | Eastern European Coalition for LGBT+ Equality
Pink Armenia
|
Show info |
| 2024 | Threats/Harassment | Eastern European Coalition for LGBT+ Equality
Pink Armenia
|
Show info |
| 2024-03 | Threats/Harassment | Eastern European Coalition for LGBT+ Equality
Pink Armenia
|
Show info |
INTERNATIONAL REPORTS
Racist and xenophobic hate crime, Anti-LGBTI hate crime
The UN OHCHR published relevant recommendations in its "Armenia: Compilation of information prepared by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights".