Georgia

In 2019, the Human Rights Division of the General Prosecutor's Office studied hate-motivated and gender-based discrimination crimes. According to the analysis of the criminal cases studied, the quality and effectiveness of measures carried out by specialized prosecutors to detect the bias motive in such criminal cases have increased. As a result, in 2019 two discriminatory motives (Gender and religious intolerance, sexual orientation and gender identity and race and ethnicity) were identified simultaneously in resolutions by prosecutors.

Selected prosecutors and investigators of the prosecution service have undergone an intensive retraining course to strengthen their capacity to deal with hate crimes. This specialization of prosecutors and investigators of the prosecution service has continued in 2019, and has covered all territorial units of the prosecution service. At the end of 2019, there were 71 specialized prosecutors and investigators of the prosecution service dealing with hate crimes.

On 19 February 2019, a memorandum of mutual co-operation was signed between the Ministry of Internal Affairs and ODIHR. On the basis of this agreement, a specific hate crime investigation training programme – based on ODIHR's Training Against Hate Crime for Law Enforcement (TAHCLE) programme – was launched by the Ministry.

Within the frame of a Council of Europe project, in 2019 the Ministry conducted research aimed at studying hate crime victim satisfaction at the investigation stage. In agreement with the Department, the research focused on representatives of religious minorities and the LGBTI community.