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, including civil society representatives, to promote an effective response to hate crimes and hate speech in Lithuania.

SELECT YEAR

OFFICIAL DATA

Year	Hate crimes recorded by police	Prosecuted	Sentenced
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

Download official data

National developments

In April 2021, the Lithuanian Police established a virtual patrol unit to monitor social networks and carry out preventive activities online by collecting information about alleged violations, including hate crime, and transferring that information to the relevant police unit to carry out investigations.

Furthermore, in 2021, the Lithuanian Parliament (Seimas) adopted the Law on Assistance to Victims of Criminal Offences, which transposes EU Directive 2012/29 on establishing minimum standards on the rights, support and protection of victims of crime. The Law strengthens the support offered to hate crime victims by requiring investigating officers to take victims' individual needs into account from the outset of the proceedings. According to the Law, assistance to victims must be provided free of charge and, in the case of a violent crime, victims are entitled to compensation for material and non-material damages.

A website "Nepyka.lt" was launched by the Office of the Equal Opportunities Ombudsperson. The website provides information on hate speech and hate crimes and is intended for practitioners, victims, and members of the public seeking information about these phenomena.

A working group set up by the Ministry of Interior to promote an effective response to hate crimes and hate speech met four times in 2021. The working group consists of representatives of the criminal justice system, other relevant agencies, and civil society. The meetings included an ODIHR workshop on understanding and strengthening hate crime responses, which resulted in a set of recommendations.

In June 2021, the Office of the Prosecutor General (OPG) and ODIHR co-organized an awareness-raising workshop for 36 prosecutors from across the country, as well as representatives of the OPG, Ministry of Interior, and civil society. The workshop resulted in a formal request by the OPG for ODIHR to review the OPG's existing methodological guidance on hate crime.

KEY OBSERVATION

ODIHR recognizes Lithuania's efforts to address hate crime in a comprehensive manner, namely by establishing a working group under the Ministry of Interior with the participation of civil society. However, based on the available information, it observes that Lithuania has not made hate crime data public. In addition, Lithuania would benefit from building the capacity of prosecutors to address hate crime.

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

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