This page provides information on the national frameworks to address hate crime in North Macedonia. The information provided here should be viewed alongside data presented on North Macedonia's hate crime report page.

Hate crime recording and data collection

Police officers record relevant information when preparing their reports in a section titled "Indications that a hate crime has been committed". This section includes indicators that the incident was a hate crime, while also stating the relevant characteristics of the victim singled out by the perpetrator.
These characteristics include: sex, "race", skin colour, gender, belonging to a marginalized group, ethnic affiliation, language, nationality, social origin, religion or religious conviction, other types of conviction, education, political affiliation, personal or social status, mental or physical disability, age, family or marital status, property status, health status, or any other grounds set forth under law or international treaties.
On receiving a report of any potential crime, including those committed with a bias motive, the police office must prepare the Minutes of the Receipt of a Report. These Minutes are shared with the public prosecutor responsible for guiding the police investigation, including the measures and activities to detect the perpetrator(s) and collect evidence within the pre-investigation procedure. Following this, a Criminal Report is prepared for the Basic Public Prosecutor's Office, which proceeds to conduct an investigative procedure and file an indictment with the competent Court.
Data about criminal charges filed under the relevant articles are entered into the electronic data system of the Ministry of the Interior. The Ministry's Unit for Criminal Intelligence and Analysis is responsible for storing national police records.
The Prosecutor's Office uses an electronic case management system to register cases. At the moment, the system does not generate statistical data for hate crimes and protected characteristics. However, the Prosecutor's Office has established a working group tasked with reforming this system to enable the it to generate statistical data on hate crimes. The Prosecutor's Office is also preparing a guidance document for prosecutors on handling hate crimes.
Other incidents committed with a hate motive, such as public order violations and complaints, are also monitored, but there is no specific guideline or document on recording such hate incidents.

Hate crime victim support

North Macedonia has not developed a specialized victim support system to address the needs of hate crime victims. As an injured party in the criminal procedure, hate crime victims have the same rights as victims of other crimes, which are stipulated in Article 57 of the Law on Criminal Procedure of the Republic of North Macedonia.
According to the Law on Criminal Procedure, a victim of any crime has the right to effective psychological and other professional support from the authorities, institutions and organizations that offer help to crime victim. Some specialized hate crime victim support is provided by civil society organizations.  
Victims of crimes for which a sentence of at least four years was given have the right to free legal consultation prior to providing testimony, and to receive compensation for non-material damages from the perpetrator or the state. Some victims – including minors, endangered victims and especially vulnerable victims – have the right to special protection measures when giving statements or being interviewed at all stages of the proceedings. Victims of certain crimes ("against gender freedom and gender morality, humanity and international law") have additional rights, including: the right to speak to a counsellor or a proxy free of charge before an interview (in case the victim is participating as an injured party in the proceedings); the right to be interviewed by a person of the same gender; the right to refuse to answer questions about the victim's personal life, if unrelated to the crime; the right to be interviewed using audio-visual equipment; and the right to request the public's exclusion from the main hearing. Special measures of procedural protection are determined by the court following the proposal of the public prosecutor or the victim, or on their own assessment when it is necessary to protect vulnerable victims.
The Law on Criminal Procedure also regulates the interviewing of particularly vulnerable victims and witnesses. Accordingly, if needed, vulnerable victims or witnesses can be interviewed in the presence of a trusted person; with the help of a psychologist, social worker or other expert; remotely, using technical image and sound transmission; or without the presence of other parties or participants in the procedure in the room where they are located. In such cases the parties, the defence attorney and the persons who have the right to ask questions of the victims or witnesses must do so through the authority leading the procedure, or via a psychologist, a pedagogue, a social worker, or other expert. During the examination of the victim or the witness, the court may also exclude the public. The victim or the witness may not face the accused, and can face the other witnesses only at their request.
All crime victims have the right to participate in criminal proceedings as injured parties by joining the criminal prosecution or for the purpose of claiming damages. In case compensation cannot be paid by the perpetrator, it is covered by the state.

Hate crime capacity building

The training of police on recording and investigating hate crimes is organized on an ad hoc basis.

Hate crime trainings for prosecutors and judges are integrated into pre-service and in-service training programmes. At pre-service level, these training courses are mandatory, but are an optional part of the in-service training programme.

In-service training courses on addressing hate crimes last one day, and as of 2025 cover the following topics: 
•    Non-discrimination, freedom of expression, hate speech and hate crimes; 
•    Strengthening the internal system for recording hate crime cases within the case management system of the Public Prosecutor's Office;
•    Tackling anti-Roma racism through case law and judgments of the European Court of Human Rights;
•    Hate speech; and
•    Addressing the challenges in recognizing and handling hate crime cases.