Greece
Greece regularly reports hate crime data to ODIHR.
In 2017, Greece implemented ODIHR’s Prosecutors and Hate Crime Training (PAHCT). In June 2018, an "Agreement on inter-agency co-operation on addressing racist crimes" was concluded by relevant state authorities and a network of civil society organizations (CSOs) as part of ODIHR's project on "Building a Comprehensive Criminal Justice Response to Hate Crimes". Consequently, the agreement has led to improved hate crime recording and data collection. On February 2022, ODIHR held an online diagnostic workshop with government representatives, criminal justice actors and CSOs to assess structures and services for hate crime victim support in Greece.
In 2022, an office within the Ministry of Justice was tasked with overseeing the systematic collection of statistical data on hate crimes.
OFFICIAL DATA REPORTED BY STATES
| Year | Hate crimes recorded by police | Prosecuted | Sentenced |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 97 | 115 | 22 |
| 2022 | 99 | 32 | 20 |
| 2021 | 110 | 2 | 1 |
| 2020 | 171 | 34 | 0 |
| 2019 | Not available | Not available | Not available |
| 2018 | 164 | 17 | 4 |
| 2017 | 128 | 46 | 6 |
| 2016 | 40 | 6 | 2 |
| 2015 | 60 | 27 | 4 |
| 2014 | 71 | 29 | 5 |
| 2013 | 109 | 9 | 0 |
| 2012 | 1 | 1 | Not available |
| 2011 | Not available | Not available | 1 |
| 2010 | 2 | Not available | Not available |
| 2009 | 2 | 2 | Not available |
About 2015 Data
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Figures reported to ODIHR comprised 82 estimated hate crime reports. This number included incidents related to hate speech and unlawful discrimination. The number displayed represents only hate crimes according to the OSCE definition.
Hate crime recorded by police
KEY OBSERVATION
ODIHR observes that the law enforcement agencies of Greece have not recorded the bias motivations of hate crimes.
INCIDENTS REPORTED BY CIVIL SOCIETY
INTERNATIONAL REPORTS
Racist and xenophobic hate crime
In its "Concluding observations on the twentieth to twenty-second periodic reports of Greece", the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) recommended strengthening the use of anti-racism provisions, including through training for law enforcement and judicial officials. CERD further recommended strengthening the reporting and registration of hate crimes.
In his report following a mission to Greece, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance praised the establishment of a public prosecutor for racist crimes and of special police units. The Rapporteur also recommended that the mandates of police and prosecutors be expanded to include homophobic and transphobic hate crimes. The rapporteur further recommended the inclusion of language and citizenship among protected characteristics in Greek hate crime law and that prosecutors and judges be trained on the use of hate crime laws.