Lithuania
Lithuania regularly reports hate crime data to ODIHR. Data are collected by the Police Department under the Ministry of the Interior and the Prosecutor General's Office. Lithuania's annual hate crime report is published here.
Lithuania began implementing ODIHR's Training Against Hate Crime for Law Enforcement (TAHCLE) programme in 2015 and continues to train police officers using ODIHR's training curriculum. In 2018, Lithuania co-organized a workshop on hate crime recording and data collection with ODIHR and the EU Fundamental Rights Agency. The workshop was based on ODIHR's Information Against Hate Crimes Toolkit (INFAHCT) and resulted in a set of recommendations for relevant state authorities.
In February 2020, the Lithuanian Ministry of Interior established a working group to promote an effective response to hate crimes and hate speech in Lithuania. The working group consists of representatives of seven national authorities and 11 civil society organizations. The working group proposes measures to strengthen the effectiveness of efforts to address hate crime and hate speech, monitors the implementation of the international obligations, considers relevant legislation, and prepares annual reports on the situation of hate crimes and hate speech in Lithuania, among other roles.
OFFICIAL DATA REPORTED BY STATES
Year | Hate crimes recorded by police | Prosecuted | Sentenced |
---|---|---|---|
2022 | 34 | 12 | 6 |
2021 | 31 | 10 | 10 |
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 |
About 2011 Data
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Prosecution figures include one racist assault.
Hate crime recorded by police
KEY OBSERVATION
INCIDENTS REPORTED BY CIVIL SOCIETY
Incidents reported by civil society, international organizations and the Holy See
INTERNATIONAL REPORTS
Racist and xenophobic hate crime
The UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) recommended that Lithuania ensure hate crimes are effectively prosecuted and punished, including providing remedies to victims and conducting awareness-raising campaigns.
The European Commission against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI) recommended that Lithuania include systems for better monitoring and continue training of police, lawyers, judges and prosecutors on hate crime provisions, noting improvements to legislation and the system for recording criminal acts motivated by racism.
Racist and xenophobic hate crime, Anti-LGBTI hate crime
The UN Human Rights Council, in its Universal Periodic Review, encouraged Lithuania to further strengthen its measures to investigate and prosecute hate crimes, noting that the criminal law has already been amended to include racial motivation as an aggravating circumstance in all crimes. It also recommended that Lithuania take measures to prevent and prosecute violence and harassment on the grounds of sexual orientation and gender identity.