Romania | HCRW

Romania regularly reports hate crime data to ODIHR. The Ministry of Administration and Interior, the police, the Prosecutor's Office and the Superior Council of Magistracy collect hate crime data.

In 2016, Romania implemented ODIHR's Training Against Hate Crimes for Law Enforcement (TAHCLE) Programme. A specialized hate crime unit was created in the Romanian Police in 2021.

Amendments to the Criminal Code introduced in 2023 set out the constituent elements of hate crimes and the protected grounds therein.

SELECT YEAR

Download the 2016 hate crime report for Romania

OFFICIAL DATA REPORTED BY STATES

Year	Hate crimes recorded by police	Prosecuted	Sentenced
2023	95	252	239
2022	59	129	16
2021	7	54	128
2020	Not available	Not available	Not available
2019	Not available	Not available	Not available
2018	2	2	33
2017	1	0	8
2016	10	21	50
2015	15	24	59
2014	25	20	Not available
2013	Not available	4	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	1	Not available

About 2016 Data

Police and prosecutor figures include cases of hate speech. Sixty-six hate crimes were reported as recorded by the police; 56 of which referred to incitement to hatred or discrimination, which fall outside the OSCE's hate crime definition. The sentencing figure relates solely to hate crimes – indicating cases where specific bias motivation aggravation was used by courts in sentencing – and includes seven homicides and ten cases of physical assault.

Hate crime recorded by police

National developments

The Romanian Police continued implementing the project "Integrated approach for prevention of victimization in Roma communities" in partnership with ODIHR and funded by a grant from the government of Norway. The project also addressed hate crimes.

The National Institute of Magistracy (NIM) organized an initial training for future judges and prosecutors. The programme included the scope of hate crimes and the manner in which they should be addressed. Three hundred and two judicial trainees participated.

Hate crime workshops for judges and prosecutors were conducted focusing on European Court of Human Rights case law.

KEY OBSERVATION

ODIHR observes that Romania's law enforcement agencies have not recorded the bias motivations of hate crimes.

Racist and xenophobic hate crime

Date	Type of incident	Source	Description
2016-06	Violent attacks against people	UNHCR in Romania	Show info

Anti-Muslim hate crime

Date	Type of incident	Source	Description
2016-03	Violent attacks against people	UNHCR in Romania	Show info

Anti-Christian hate crime

Date	Type of incident	Source	Description
2016-09	Attacks against property	OIDAC	Show info
2016-02	Violent attacks against people	Jehovah's Witnesses	Show info

INTERNATIONAL REPORTS

Anti-Roma hate crime

In a letter to Prime Minister of Romania, the Commissioner for Human Rights of the Council of Europe observed that police violence against Roma people remained a concern, as attested to by the number of such cases pending before the European Court of Human Rights.