The data below were reported by the State Investigation and Protection Agency (SIPA) and the Ministries of the Interior of the Republika Srpska, Central Bosnia Canton, Zenica-Doboj Canton and Sarajevo Canton.
In 2021, the Centre for the Education of Judges and Prosecutors in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina held training sessions on the subject of hate-motivated crimes. A specific session on crimes motivated by hatred based on sexual orientation and sexual orientation was included in a seminar on the protection of the rights of LGBTI persons in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The Centre for the Education of Judges and Public Prosecutors in the Republika Srpska held two sessions on hate crimes and as part of a seminar on the protection of the rights of LGBTI persons in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
During 2021, the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republika Srpska trained 30 police officers as part of a training on ensuring a sensitive response to security incidents that may be motivated by prejudice or hatred. In particular, the training focused on the indicators of hate crimes motivated by bias based on the victim’s sexual orientation, gender characteristics and gender identity. In addition, more than 50 police officers were trained in responding to hate crime at 16 training sessions held by the Ministry, the EU Agency for Police Training (CEPOL), the OSCE and the Council of Europe.
ODIHR recognizes Bosnia and Herzegovina's efforts to report hate crimes to ODIHR and improve its hate crime recording and data collection. However, based on the available information, ODIHR observes the low numbers of officially recorded hate crimes. In addition, ODIHR observes that Bosnia and Herzegovina would benefit from raising awareness among and building the capacity of criminal justice officials to address hate crime.
ODIHR recalls that in Ministerial Council Decisions 9/09 and 12/04, OSCE participating States committed to collecting reliable data and statistics on hate crimes. States also committed to taking appropriate measures to encourage victims to report hate crimes, including through co-operation with civil society, and to make use of all reliable information available. To that end, a robust system for recording hate crimes, as well as initiatives to encourage victims to report, must be introduced. ODIHR further recalls that in Ministerial Council Decision 9/09, participating States committed to introduce or further develop professional training and capacity-building activities for law enforcement, prosecution and judicial officials dealing with hate crimes. ODIHR stands ready to support Bosnia and Herzegovina 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, prosecutors, and the judiciary.