Lithuania adopted a new Code of Administrative Offences in 2015 that includes a general penalty enhancement provision if the offense was committed with a bias motivation. The code will enter into force in 2017.
ILGA-Europe and the Lithuanian Gay League reported two physical assaults; one of the victims was a man who had intervened following the verbal abuse of patrons of a gay club.
The European Foundations of Human Rights reported two physical assaults targeting people from Azerbaijan and Armenia; and four incidents of graffiti targeting Poles and Russians.
In its fifth report on Lithuania, the European Commission against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI) recommended that the Criminal Code be amended to include colour, citizenship and gender identity as protected characteristics. ECRI also observed the need for further training for police officers, prosecutors and judges on how to approach hate crimes.
In its "Concluding observations on the combined sixth to eighth periodic reports of Lithuania", the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) recommended that the collection of data on reported hate crimes, prosecutions and sentences be improved, and that the state take measures to reach out to groups at risk of being targeted. The Committee also stressed the importance of ensuring the effective investigation and prosecution of hate crimes.