Responding to hate crime: Training for prosecutors in Poland

Hate crimes can have a profound impact not only on individual victims, but also on the communities they belong to. Effective investigation and prosecution are therefore essential to ensuring that bias motivation is recognized, victims’ rights and needs are addressed, and those responsible are held to account.

Prosecutors play a central role in this response. They work with law enforcement to ensure that possible bias motivation is identified and investigated, help ensure that hate crime cases are correctly qualified under national law, and play an important role in ensuring sensitive and respectful treatment of victims.

ODIHR is organizing a two-day training in Warsaw for specialized hate crime prosecutors from Poland. The training will strengthen participants’ knowledge of hate crime, bias motivation and victims’ needs, while developing practical skills for the effective and victim-centred prosecution of hate crime cases.

The course is part of ODIHR’s Prosecutors and Hate Crime Training (PAHCT) programme, which supports national authorities in strengthening their ability to recognize, investigate and prosecute hate crimes.

The training has been tailored to Poland’s national context and legal framework following a needs assessment conducted by ODIHR in June and July 2026 with representatives of the criminal justice system, communities and civil society organizations.

This activity is part of Pathways to Inclusion and Resilience, an ODIHR project supported by the Government of Canada.

Over two days, participants will explore the hate crime concept and the role of prosecutors in responding to bias-motivated crime.

The first day will focus on the experiences of affected communities, international and regional standards, identifying bias indicators, Poland’s hate crime legislation and practical case studies on establishing bias motivation and gathering evidence.

The second day will examine sensitive and respectful treatment of hate crime victims, selected hate crime offences and barriers prosecutors may encounter in bringing cases forward. Participants will also hear about prosecutorial experience from Germany and discuss practical strategies for overcoming challenges in hate crime cases.

The training aims to:

• strengthen prosecutors’ understanding of hate crime, bias motivation and hate crime victimization;
• deepen understanding of international obligations and OSCE commitments related to prosecuting and punishing hate crime;
• examine Poland’s national legal framework for prosecuting hate crimes; and
• strengthen practical skills for effective, consistent and victim-centred prosecution of hate crime cases. 

The training is designed for specialized hate crime prosecutors from Poland.

For questions about the event, please contact Marharyta Zhesko, ODIHR's Hate Crime Officer, at marharyta.zhesko@odihr.pl.