Croatia
Croatia regularly reports hate crime data to ODIHR.
Since 2006, Croatia has implemented ODIHR's Law Enforcement Outreach Programme (LEOP) followed by the updated Training Against Hate Crime for Law Enforcement (TAHCLE) programme.
In 2021, the government adopted an updated inter-agency "Protocol for Procedure in Cases of Hate Crime", establishing state authorities' responsibilities in addressing hate crime and revised the responsibilities of the dedicated Working Group for monitoring hate crimes. In 2021, the Working Group participated in ODIHR's diagnostic workshop to assess national structures and services for hate crime victim support, resulting in a set of ODIHR recommendations to the relevant state authorities. Data on hate crimes are regularly published by the Office for Human Rights and the Rights of National Minorities (OHRRNM).
OFFICIAL DATA REPORTED BY STATES
| Year | Hate crimes recorded by police | Prosecuted | Sentenced |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 73 | 38 | 19 |
| 2023 | 85 | 33 | 9 |
| 2022 | 80 | 24 | 14 |
| 2021 | 101 | 57 | 11 |
| 2020 | 87 | 138 | 18 |
| 2019 | 48 | 117 | 10 |
| 2018 | 33 | 23 | 8 |
| 2017 | 25 | 16 | 12 |
| 2016 | 35 | 37 | 7 |
| 2015 | 24 | 27 | 7 |
| 2014 | 22 | 60 | 6 |
| 2013 | 35 | 57 | 8 |
| 2012 | 17 | 19 | 15 |
| 2011 | 57 | 20 | 10 |
| 2010 | 34 | 34 | 3 |
| 2009 | 32 | Not available | Not available |
About 2024 Data
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These data refer only to hate crimes under Article 87 paragraph 21 of the Criminal Code of Croatia (aggravating circumstance). Two cases of 'damage to the reputation of the Republic of Croatia', which fall outside the OSCE hate crime definition, were excluded from the police-recorded figure above, and one such case was excluded from as part of the prosecution data.
Hate crime recorded by police
KEY OBSERVATION
ODIHR recognizes Croatia's efforts to regularly report hate crime information and statistics to ODIHR. However, based on the available information, it observes that Croatia's hate crime recording and statistics do not sufficiently distinguish hate crimes from other crimes. In addition, ODIHR observes that Croatia would benefit from raising awareness among and building the capacity of criminal justice officials to address hate crime.
ODIHR recalls that in Ministerial Council Decision 9/09, participating States agreed to a common hate crime definition and committed to collecting reliable data and statistics on hate crimes. To that end, throughout the recording and data collection process hate crimes must be distinguished from incitement to hatred offences and other crimes falling outside of the OSCE's hate crime definition. Participating States 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 Croatia in meeting its 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 received reports of hate incidents in Croatia from the following civil society organizations:
Centre for Peace Studies (CMS)
Lesbian Organization Rijeka (LORI)
International Institute for Religious Freedom (IIRF)
The Observatory on Intolerance and Discrimination against Christians in Europe (OIDAC)
In addition, the Holy See also submitted reports of incidents monitored in Croatia by its representatives.
To learn more about these organizations, visit the Contributors page.
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. Some incidents involved multiple biases and may be listed in multiple categories.
ODIHR’s insightsFor 2024, ODIHR received reports of 23 incidents that took place in Croatia in the following bias motivation categories: racist and xenophobic, anti-Christian, and anti-LGBTI. ODIHR observes that a significant number of racist and xenophobic incidents in Croatia involved physical assaults, often targeting migrants or national minorities, with repeated attacks against people of Asian, Russian, and Turkish backgrounds, and with a specific targeting of delivery workers. Many victims sustained severe injuries, including fractures, and required hospitalization. ODIHR also observed that all reported anti-Christian incidents were attacks against property, including arson, destruction of religious symbols, damage to church buildings and statues, and anti-Christian graffiti. Finally, ODIHR noted a number of anti-LGBTI threats online and at school, as well as physical assaults during protests and in public spaces. It should be noted that ODIHR did not receive any reporting on Croatia relating to anti-Semitic, anti-Muslim, anti-Roma, gender-based, other religion or belief, or 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 Croatia.
To address under-reporting, ODIHR encourages any civil society organizations or groups that monitor hate incidents in Croatia to report these to ODIHR at hatecrimereport@odihr.pl.
To export an Excel sheet with summaries of all incidents from Croatia click here and search by year and country.
CIVIL SOCIETY INCIDENT SUMMARIES
Racist and xenophobic hate crime
| Date | Type of incident | Source | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-01 | Threats/Harassment | Centre for Peace Studies (CMS)
|
Show info |
| 2024-01 | Violent attacks against people | Centre for Peace Studies (CMS)
|
Show info |
| 2024-03 | Attacks against property | Centre for Peace Studies (CMS)
|
Show info |
| 2024-04 | Violent attacks against people | Centre for Peace Studies (CMS)
|
Show info |
| 2024-06 | Violent attacks against people | Centre for Peace Studies (CMS)
|
Show info |
| 2024-06 | Attacks against property | Centre for Peace Studies (CMS)
|
Show info |
| 2024-01 | Violent attacks against people | Centre for Peace Studies (CMS)
|
Show info |
| 2024-01 | Violent attacks against people | Centre for Peace Studies (CMS)
|
Show info |
| 2024-09 | Attacks against property | Centre for Peace Studies (CMS)
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Show info |
| 2024-10 | Violent attacks against people | Centre for Peace Studies (CMS)
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Show info |
| 2024-11 | Violent attacks against people | Centre for Peace Studies (CMS)
|
Show info |
Anti-Christian hate crime
| Date | Type of incident | Source | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-03 | Attacks against property | OIDAC
|
Show info |
| 2024-01 | Attacks against property | International Institute for Religious Freedom (IIRF).
OIDAC
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Show info |
| 2024-01 | Attacks against property | OIDAC
|
Show info |
| 2024-10 | Attacks against property | Holy See
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Show info |
| 2024-11 | Attacks against property | Centre for Peace Studies (CMS)
|
Show info |
| 2024-07 | Attacks against property | Holy See
|
Show info |
Anti-LGBTI hate crime
| Date | Type of incident | Source | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-10 | Threats/Harassment | Lesbian Organization Rijeka - LORI
|
Show info |
| 2024-10 | Threats/Harassment | Lesbian Organization Rijeka - LORI
|
Show info |
| 2024-03 | Violent attacks against people | Lesbian Organization Rijeka - LORI
|
Show info |
| 2024-05 | Threats/Harassment | Lesbian Organization Rijeka - LORI
|
Show info |
| 2024-09 | Violent attacks against people | Centre for Peace Studies (CMS)
|
Show info |
INTERNATIONAL REPORTS
Racist and xenophobic hate crime, Anti-Roma hate crime
The UN’s Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (CESCR) published relevant recommendations in its "Concluding observations on the second periodic report of Croatia".
The UN Human Rights Council published relevant recommendations in its "Croatia Compilation of information prepared by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights".