Lithuania

Lithuania regularly reports hate crime data to ODIHR. Lithuania's Criminal Code contains a combination of general and specific penalty enhancement provisions and a substantive offence. Data are collected by the Police Department under the Ministry of the Interior and the Prosecutor General's Office. Data are not made publicly available.

How hate crime data is collected in Lithuania

How hate crime data is collected in Lithuania

Criminal data are processed in the Departmental Register of Criminal Acts. The Register is administrated by the Ministry of the Interior. The data are provided by police officers and prosecutors when a pre-trial investigation begins or other decisions on criminal procedures are made. The judges provide data to the Register only in cases of private accusation, in which a pre-trial investigation is not carried out and a victim files a complaint and upholds an accusation in court.

There are two types of hate crimes described in the criminal code: substantive crimes with bias motivations (with specific sentencing enhancements for murder, health impairment, desecration of graves or other places of public respect, and incitement of violence); and all other crimes for which bias motivation is an aggravating circumstance that should be taken into account by the court in sentencing.

During the investigation of hate crime cases, officers entering information in the Register will mark a criminal act as likely motivated by race, nationality, religion, language, gender, descent, social status, convictions or views, sexual orientation, age and disability.

When a criminal case is referred to the court, the officer entering the decision in the Register will also indicate the bias motive of a criminal act if it has been investigated. In order to obtain data on recorded and prosecuted hate crimes, a search of the Register, filtered by indicated motives and specific paragraphs of relevant articles of the criminal code, is carried out. The data are then reviewed to ensure accuracy.

In order to obtain data on sentences for hate crimes, a search by a relevant criminal case number is carried out in the Register of Suspected, Accused and Convicted Persons for hate crimes referred to the court. The searches are performed and data reviewed by the Public Security and Migration Department of the Ministry of the Interior.

Statistics on the application of aggravating circumstance provisions in sentencing are not available at the moment. A special instruction or policy document governing the process of hate crime data collection does not exist. Only official statistics on crimes recorded as "Incitement against any National, Racial, Ethnic, Religious or Other Group of Persons", which are mostly cases of hate speech, are published on the Ministry of the Interior's website.

Access more information at the Legislation Online website Legislationline TANDIS Access more information at the Tolerance and Non-Discrimination Information System (TANDIS) website

OFFICIAL DATA

Year Hate crimes recorded by police Prosecuted Sentenced
2020 8 4 1
2019 9 1 0
2018 7 4 2
2017 9 4 3
2016 20 6 7
2015 24 5 4
2014 0 0 0
2013 3 2 3
2012 7 2 2
2011 5 2 Not available
2010 Not available Not available Not available
2009 3 Not available Not available

National developments

In 2020, with the support of the project "Strengthening the Response to Hate Crimes and the Language of Hate in Lithuania" funded by the European Union's Rights, Equality and Citizenship Programme (2014–2020), the Prosecutor General issued an updated version of the Methodological Recommendations on the Peculiarities of Conducting, Organizing and Guiding the Pre-Trial Investigation of Hate Crimes and Hate Speech.

The Ministry of Interior compiled a practical guide for law enforcement officers on cooperation with communities vulnerable to hate crimes. Under the same ministry, a working group to promote an effective response to hate crimes and hate speech in Lithuania was established in February 2020. The working group consists of representatives of the criminal justice system, other relevant agencies, and civil society. It has been tasked with: (i) considering the issues of raising public awareness of hate crimes and hate speech, promoting dialogue with vulnerable communities and other ways to increase the effectiveness of the fight against hate crimes and hate speech and making relevant proposals; (ii) monitoring the implementation of the international obligations in the field of prevention of hate crimes and hate speech, and preparing proposals on their proper implementation; (iii) assessing relevant applicable and draft legislation; (iv) considering the issues involved in improving the monitoring of hate crime and hate speech in Lithuania; (v) preparing and publishing annual reports on hate crimes and hate speech in Lithuania; (vi) exchanging relevant information on planned and ongoing activities and best practices in the field of prevention of hate crime and hate speech; (vii) initiating events to strengthen the public's capacity to recognise hate crimes and hate speech, reduce the latency of hate crime, and strengthen the relevant competences of law enforcement institutions and other state institutions and bodies and civil society organisations (CSOs); and (viii) considering the recommendations of international organisations, NGOs, and other organisations with regard to the response to hate crimes and hate speech in Lithuania and preparing proposals for their implementation.
 

INCIDENTS REPORTED BY OTHER SOURCES

In addition to incidents summarized below, this graph includes 1 hate incident reported by Kantor Center as statistics.

Racist and xenophobic hate crime

Date Type of incident Source Description
2020-03 Violent attacks against people
European Foundation of Human Rights (EFHR)
OSCE Office for Democratic Institution and Human Rights
 Show info
2020-09 Violent attacks against people
OSCE Office for Democratic Institution and Human Rights
 Show info

Anti-Semitic hate crime

Date Type of incident Source Description
2020-06 Attacks against property
European Foundation of Human Rights (EFHR)
 Show info
2020-06 Attacks against property
European Foundation of Human Rights (EFHR)
 Show info
2020-05 Attacks against property
Kantor Center
 Show info
2020-07 Attacks against property
Kantor Center
 Show info

Anti-Muslim hate crime

Date Type of incident Source Description
2020-09 Violent attacks against people
OSCE Office for Democratic Institution and Human Rights
 Show info

Gender-based hate crime

Date Type of incident Source Description
2020-02 Violent attacks against people
European Foundation of Human Rights (EFHR)
Lithuanian Gay League (LGL)
 Show info

Anti-LGBTI hate crime

Date Type of incident Source Description
2020-09 Violent attacks against people
European Foundation of Human Rights (EFHR)
 Show info
2020-12 Attacks against property
European Foundation of Human Rights (EFHR)
Lithuanian Gay League (LGL)
 Show info
2020-02 Violent attacks against people
European Foundation of Human Rights (EFHR)
Lithuanian Gay League (LGL)
 Show info

INTERNATIONAL REPORTS

No information is available.

KEY OBSERVATION

ODIHR recognizes Lithuania's efforts to address hate crimes in a comprehensive manner, namely through establishing a relevant working group under the Ministry of Interior. However, based on the available information, it observes that Lithuania has not made hate crime data public. In addition, Lithuania would benefit from raising the awareness and building the capacity of criminal justice officials about hate crimes.

ODIHR recalls that in the Ministerial Council Decision 9/09, participating States have committed to making reliable and detailed data and statistics on hate crimes public. In the Ministerial Council Decision 9/09, participating States have 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 Lithuania 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 providing further tailored capacity building assistance for police, prosecution, and judiciary.

Our methodology