Lithuania | HCRW

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 international obligations, considers relevant legislation, and prepares annual reports on the situation of hate crimes and hate speech in Lithuania, among other roles.

In 2023, the Action Plan for the Implementation of Equal Opportunities, 2024-2026, was approved, and includes measures to prevent hate speech and hate crimes. Amendments were also made to recommendations for the pre-trial investigation of hate crime and hate speech, drafted with support from ODIHR, to include a definition of hate crime and bias indicators.

SELECT YEAR

Download the 2012 hate crime report for Lithuania

OFFICIAL DATA REPORTED BY STATES

Year	Hate crimes recorded by police	Prosecuted	Sentenced
2023	25	8	7
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 2012 Data

Prosecution figures include one racist physical assault. Sentencing figures include one case of threats.

Download official data

National developments

The government began implementation of the Inter-institutional Action Plan for the Promotion of Non-discrimination for 2012-2014, in which the Ministry of the Interior is obligated to prepare and regularly publish statistics on the criminal acts committed on grounds of the victim's nationality, “race”, ethnic origin, religion, language or belonging to another group.

KEY OBSERVATION

ODIHR observes that Lithuania has not made public reliable data and statistics on hate crimes.

Incidents reported by civil society, international organizations and the Holy See

Reports

Hate crime against Christians and members of other religions

The Holy See reported four cases of arson; one case of graffiti on a church; and one case of vandalism against a church, involving damage to a sculpture. While bias motivation was not recorded by the Police in those cases, Lithuanian authorities have initiated proceedings against the perpetrators.

Racist and xenophobic hate crime

The European Foundation for Human Rights reported one physical assault by a group against Polish schoolchildren.

Anti-Semitic hate crime

World Without Nazism reported one case of graffiti on a synagogue and once case of grave desecration.

INTERNATIONAL REPORTS

No information is available.