Hate crime against Christians and members of other religions

Hate crime targeting individuals on the basis of religion can take various forms. The extent and nature of attacks motivated by bias against a particular religion are influenced by a number of factors, including the minority or majority status of that religion in a given territory. Successive ODIHR hate crime reports have indicated that graffiti and vandalism against places of worship, the desecration of cemeteries and arson attacks against churches are some of the more common types of crimes motivated by bias against Christians and members of other religions.

Beginning in 2004, a number of OSCE ministerial council decisions and declarations have included specific commitments on and references to the importance of combating prejudice, intolerance and discrimination against Christians and members of other religions.
Some participating States disaggregate data on anti-religious hate crime into sub-categories, such as "non-denominational", "Catholic", "Protestant", "other religions", or "Jehovah's witnesses". The Holy See also collects information on hate incidents based on bias against Christians through its network of regional representatives. This information is submitted by ODIHR to authorities in the respective participating States for verification and information on the status of investigation and of hate motive.
OSCE participating States collect varying types of information, which is then reported and presented under the heading of this bias motivation. For some states, the number of cases reported here may cover all hate crimes committed with an anti-religious bias (including anti-Semitic or anti-Muslim). In other cases, anti-Semitic and anti-Muslim hate crimes are reported under specific bias categories and, thus not included in the overall figure for crimes committed with an anti-religious bias. Some participating States report only crimes committed against Christians. As a consequence of these differences, the data presented under this bias category require caution, as comparison based on numbers of cases alone may not be accurate.
For these reasons, this category of hate crimes has been used until 2016, when ODIHR further disaggregated its reporting. From this year on, Anti-Christian Hate Crime and Other Hate Crime Based on Religion or Belief are presented as separate categories.

ODIHR TANDIS

International Reports

Kyrgyzstan

The UN Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion or Belief  addressed issues relating to violence motivated by religious bias and attacks against places of worship. In particular, the Special Rapporteur sent communications to governments, inquiring about allegations of violence against Jehovah’s Witnesses and their property in Kyrgyzstan.

Moldova

The UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) recommended that Moldova ensure hate crimes are effectively prosecuted and punished. It noted the need for better response by Moldovan authorities to anti-Semitic incidents, including vandalism of religious sites and it encouraged Moldova to prevent acts directed at minorities or the religious sites of minorities and to investigate and prosecute these cases when they do occur. 

The UN Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion or Belief encouraged the Moldovan Government to speak out clearly against any manifestations of religious hatred and intolerance. He also addressed issues relating to violence motivated by religious bias and attacks against places of worship, in particular by sending communications to governments, inquiring about a serious case of physical assault and ongoing discrimination and harassment against a Baptist in Moldova.

Serbia

The European Commission against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI) recommended that Serbia ensure more vigorous implementation of criminal law in cases of racist crime, strengthen judicial training on issues relating to racist crime and encourage witnesses and victims to report hate crimes. ECRI also expressed concern about violent attacks against religious minorities, especially Jehovah’s Witnesses and Adventists in Serbia.

OSCE Region

The United Nations General Assembly adopted Resolution 66/167 on Combating negative stereotyping, stigmatization, discrimination, incitement to violence and violence against persons based on religion or belief. The Resolution condemns acts of violence targeting persons or property based on their religious association and calls on states to protect religious sites subject to destruction and vandalism.

The UN Human Rights Council adopted Resolution 16/13, on freedom of religion or belief, which noted with concern acts of violence directed at religious minorities and condemned violence motivated by a bias against religion. The Resolution also emphasized that states should take measures to prevent, investigate and punish such acts, and that the failure to do so may constitute a human rights violation.