ODIHR observes that Latvia has not reported information and statistics on hate crimes to ODIHR since 2016. In the absence of an official submission and statistics, ODIHR is not able to provide further observations on hate crime data collection in Latvia. In addition, ODIHR observes that Latvia would benefit from reviewing its existing legal framework in order to ensure that bias motivation can be effectively acknowledged and appropriate penalties can be imposed on perpetrators.
ODIHR recalls that in Ministerial Council Decision 9/09, participating States committed to periodically report reliable information and statistics on hate crime to ODIHR. Participating States also committed to enacting specific, tailored legislation to combat hate crimes, providing for effective penalties that take into account the gravity of such crimes. ODIHR stands ready to support Latvia 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 through its comprehensive resources and tailored legislative advice.
🛈 Please note that the total number of incidents may be lower than the sum of incidents presented in the breakdown chart above, as some incidents involve multiple bias motivations.
🛈 ODIHR no longer presents descriptions of property attacks in the incident tables below. Data on property attacks are presented in the breakdown charts above. One property attack may target multiple properties or involve multiple types of attack.