Official figures record one homicide and 21 unspecified hate crimes committed on the basis of racism and xenophobia.
Figures include cases of bias against religion which are not listed under the specific category below because the precise number is unknown.
Between 2012 and 2013, the Ministry of Culture of Latvia took part in the Council of Europe project "Combating Discrimination on the Grounds of Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity". Over 20 activities were implemented as part of the project, including a review of Latvia’s legal framework on discrimination, hate crimes and legal gender recognition, as well as training for law enforcement officers on tackling hate crimes.
Mozaika reported four physical assaults, including three carried out by groups and one involving the assault resulting in serious injury of a gay man who required hospital treatment as a result of the attack, as well as one case of damage to property and three instances of threats.
Mozaika reported a series of physical assaults against a gay man with disabilities by groups, including incidents in which stones were thrown at the victim.
World Without Nazism reported one incident of the desecration of a plaque commemorating the Holocaust and one incident of damage to a Jewish community centre.
The Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairperson‑in‑Office on combating anti-Semitism conducted a country visit to Latvia. Following the visit, the Personal Representative presented his recommendations, which included enhancing teaching about anti-Semitism in schools and training for judges and prosecutors on hate crimes.
The European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) published findings from a survey on experiences and perceptions of anti-Semitism conducted in Belgium, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Sweden and the United Kingdom. The survey showed that many respondents have been victims of anti-Semitic violence and harassment, and feared becoming hate crime victims in the future. The survey also mapped the extent of unreported anti-Semitic hate crime. FRA recommended that EU Member States consider taking a number of steps to improve the reporting, recording, investigating and prosecuting of hate crimes.
ODIHR observes that Latvia has not reported on hate crimes separately from cases of hate speech.