Slovakia

Slovakia regularly reports hate crime data to ODIHR. Slovakia has implemented ODIHR's Training Against Hate Crime for Law Enforcement (TAHCLE) programme since 2017 and the Prosecutors and Hate Crime Training (PAHCT) programme since 2018. In 2018, the Ministry of Interior co-organized with ODIHR and the EU Agency for Fundamental Rights a workshop on understanding and improving hate crime recording and data collection, based on ODIHR's Information Against Hate Crimes Toolkit (INFAHCT). There is a high degree of hate crime specialization in both police and prosecutor structures in Slovakia.      

The Committee for the Prevention and Elimination of Racism, Xenophobia, Anti-Semitism, and Other Forms of Intolerance was established as a Government advisory body. The Committee established working groups on hate speech on the internet and anti-Semitism, in line with the Memorandum on Cooperation between the Ministry of the Interior of the Slovak Republic and the Federation of Jewish Communities in Slovakia. The working groups include representatives of the police and prosecutor's office, as well as civil society organizations focusing on human rights, anti-Roma racism, and anti-Semitism. 

Hate crime data collection in Slovakia
Support for hate crime victims in Slovakia
Hate crime capacity building in Slovakia
Slovakia's hate crime legislation
Download the 2013 hate crime report for Slovakia

OFFICIAL DATA REPORTED BY STATES

Year Hate crimes recorded by police Prosecuted Sentenced
2023 46 Not available 5
2022 28 16 12
2021 20 13 15
2020 20 16 6
2019 50 38 8
2018 41 20 15
2017 34 16 10
2016 10 9 3
2015 6 30 2
2014 3 Not available 4
2013 7 Not available 7
2012 102 Not available 16
2011 242 Not available 16
2010 Not available Not available 10
2009 132 Not available 18

Hate crime recorded by police

National developments

Amendments to Section 140 of the Criminal Code of Slovakia on the aggravation of penalties in cases of bias-motivated crime entered into effect in 2013. The amendment includes sexual orientation among the protected characteristics listed in the provision.

The Ministry of Interior and the Friedrich Ebert Stiftung organized two trainings for 50 police officers, including police officers with a Roma background, serving in areas with substantial Roma populations whose primary responsibility in autumn 2013 was to liaise between the local Roma population and the police. The trainings also addressed the issues of bias-motivated crimes and current forms of violent extremism.

KEY OBSERVATION

ODIHR observes that the law enforcement agencies of the Slovak Republic have not recorded the bias motivations of hate crimes.

Incidents reported by civil society, international organizations and the Holy See

Reports

Hate crime against Christians and members of other religions

The Observatory on Intolerance and Discrimination against Christians reported one incident of the desecration of a church.

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Anti-LGBTI hate crime

Initiative Otherness reported one incident that took place during Rainbow Pride, during which a large group threatened and threw eggs and bottles of water at attendees.

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INTERNATIONAL REPORTS

Anti-LGBTI hate crime

In its fifth report, the European Commission against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI) observed the amendments to the Slovak Criminal Code’s aggravating circumstances provision and, in that context, reiterated the need for detailed statistical data on racist, homophobic and transphobic crimes.

Racist and xenophobic hate crime

The United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) recommended that Slovakia take action to ensure the effective investigation and prosecution of hate crimes, and that the state provide the Committee with comprehensive hate crime statistics.