Montenegro

Montenegro has reported information on hate crimes to ODIHR, most recently for the 2019 and 2021 Hate Crime Reports. Montenegro implemented ODIHR's Training Against Hate Crimes for Law Enforcement (TAHCLE) programme in 2014 and updated the training in 2022 following changes to the country's hate crime legislation in 2018. In 2017, Montenegro adopted measures to allow for the effective prosecution of hate crimes following the judgement of the European Court of Human Rights in the case of Alkovic v. Montenegro (No. 66895/10).

SELECT YEAR

OFFICIAL DATA

Year	Hate crimes recorded by police	Prosecuted	Sentenced
2022	3	Not available	602
2021	7	-	5
2020	Not available	Not available	Not available
2019	31	-	3
2018	-	0	1
2017	Not available	Not available	1
2016	Not available	Not available	Not available
2015	Not available	Not available	Not available
2014	Not available	Not available	0
2013	Not available	Not available	Not available
2012	Not available	Not available	Not available
2011	Not available	Not available	Not available
2010	Not available	Not available	Not available
2009	Not available	Not available	Not available

About 2022 Data

Police recorded and sentenced figures were disaggregated by type of crime. The above figures may include cases of hate speech, which fall outside of the OSCE's definition of hate crime.

Hate crime recorded by police

The breakdown below may include cases of hate speech, which fall outside of the OSCE's definition of hate crime.

By bias motivation
By type of crime

Download official data

National developments

In 2022, a Memorandum of Co-operation was signed by ODIHR, the Supreme State Prosecutor's Office of Montenegro and the Centre for Training of the Judiciary and State Prosecutor's Office. The Memorandum related to the implementation of ODIHR's Prosecutors and Hate Crimes Training Program (PAHCT), for which a training-of-trainers took place in 2023.

Throughout 2022, the Centre for Training in the Judiciary and the State Prosecutor's Office conducted several courses on hate crimes as part of initial and continuous training for judges and prosecutors.

In a notable case, criminal charges were brought against a man in Podgorica, who threatened a German Embassy employee outside the building. The prosecution was discontinued after the suspect paid a fine.

KEY OBSERVATION

ODIHR recognizes Montenegro's efforts to report police and judiciary hate crime records to ODIHR. However, based on the available information, ODIHR observes that Montenegro has not reported data on the number of prosecuted hate crimes to ODIHR or recorded the bias motivations of hate crimes. In addition, ODIHR observes that Montenegro would benefit from developing its victim support system to ensure effective access to justice, assistance, and protection services for hate crime victims.

ODIHR recalls that in Ministerial Council Decision 9/09, OSCE participating States committed to collecting reliable data and statistics in sufficient detail on hate crimes, including the bias motivation of hate crimes, and to reporting such data periodically to ODIHR. Participating States also committed to providing hate crime victims with access to counselling, legal assistance, and effective access to justice, as well as to increase positive interaction between police and victims of hate crimes by training front-line officers, including on referrals to victim assistance and protection.

ODIHR stands ready to support Montenegro in meeting the relevant commitments through its comprehensive resources and tailored assistance in the area of hate crime recording and data collection, as well as through its further resources and assistance on hate crime victim support.

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