National frameworks to address hate crime in Latvia

This page provides information on the national frameworks to address hate crime in Latvia. The information provided here should be viewed alongside data presented on Latvia's hate crime report page.


Hate crime recording and data collection

There is no specific system for police to record hate crimes, so they are registered in the same way as any other offence.

While the Prosecutor's Office captures hate speech cases separately (these are crimes falling under Section 78 of the Criminal Law Triggering of National, Ethnic and Racial Hatred), no statistical information is compiled on hate crimes, which are defined as crimes committed due to racist, national, ethnic or religious motives in Section 48(1)14 of the Criminal Law.

The Court Administration compiles judicial crime statistics according to the relevant criminal law section. Data on hate crimes cannot be captured separately because Latvia's hate crime provision is not a substantive offence but a sentencing provision.