Altogether 30 criminal offences committed with a bias motive were recorded by the police. However, of these, 21 constituted criminal forms of hate speech and/or discrimination and as such were excluded from the bias motivation breakdown chart below.
In May 2024, the European Union asked Albania to revise the Criminal Code to include clearer and tougher provisions against hate speech and hate crimes, especially those targeting the LGBTQI community. This request was part of the country's commitment within the framework of EU membership negotiations.
In 2024, the Council of Europe published a recommendation calling on Albania to develop guidelines and protocols for the recognition, investigation, prosecution, and recording of hate crimes. This recommendation emphasizes the importance of training Prosecutors and creating specialized roles for prosecuting these crimes.
In 2024, a strategy on the protection of crime victims was introduced, and is valid until 2030. The strategy includes measures to cooperate with civil society on addressing hate crimes. The Ministry of Justice is the lead authority responsible for the strategy's monitoring and overall coordination. The Police Institution plays an essential role in strategy's implementation and coordination at the local and central levels, and leads on the coordination with the Prosecutor's Office, the judiciary, and the services providing social and psychological care that are responsible for implementing protocols and protective measures.
In March 2024, a training for police officers was held by the United States Embassy on the topic of "Diversity for Fair and Impartial Policing".
In June 2024, a hate crime training session was organized in Tirana, focusing on exchanging knowledge among judges and prosecutors. Ten police officers from the regional police directorates also participated in the activity.
In July 2024, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs hosted a meeting with the UN Independent Expert on protection from violence and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.
In September 2024, a meeting on the joint efforts of the Albanian State Police and the European Council to address hate crimes was held in relation to Council of Europe projects on "Advancing the protection from discrimination in Albania", the joint programme of the European Union/Council of Europe, and the "Horizontal Facility for the Western Balkans and Turkey (Phase III)".
Throughout 2024, the OSCE and the Commissioner for Protection from Discrimination held meetings with representatives of the State Police to improve cooperation for community protection and security.
On 23-24 May 2024, a regional meeting titled "Police Operating in a Diverse Society" was held before the LGBTI community parade in Tirana on 25 May. The meeting facilitated the exchange of experiences among representatives from Albania, Kosovo, Ukraine, and civil society, focusing on addressing hate crimes and securing public gatherings.
The racism and xenophobia bias motivation category may cover also religion-related hate crimes, in addition to crimes based on ethnicity, nationality or race.
ODIHR recognizes Albania's efforts to report information and statistics on hate crimes to ODIHR. Based on the official information, ODIHR observes that Albania's hate crime recording and statistics do not sufficiently distinguish hate crimes from other crimes, while the number of officially recorded hate crimes is low. ODIHR also observes that Albania has not reported data on hate crimes recorded by the prosecution and the judiciary to ODIHR. In addition, ODIHR observes that Albania would benefit from raising awareness among and building the capacity of law enforcement and criminal justice officials to address hate crime.
ODIHR recalls that in Ministerial Council Decision 9/09, OSCE participating States committed to collecting reliable data and statistics on hate crimes. 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 Albania in meeting the 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 resources and tailored capacity-building assistance for police, prosecution, and judiciary.
For 2024, ODIHR did not receive any reports of hate incidents in Albania from civil society organizations. This is not an indication that hate crimes are not taking place, only that they have not been reported to civil society or to ODIHR.
To address under-reporting, ODIHR encourages any civil society organizations or groups that monitor hate incidents in Albania to report these to ODIHR at hatecrimereport@odihr.pl.