Methods to comprehensively address hate crime focus of OSCE/ODIHR awareness-raising seminar in Prague

Raising awareness about the specific nature of hate crime in the Czech Republic was the purpose of a seminar organized by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) and the Czech Republic’s Government Agent for Human Rights in Prague on 11 December 2018.

The participants – over 40 experts from various state authorities and civil society organizations (22 men and 21 women) – discussed methods for countering hate crime in a comprehensive way.

Experts from the Office of the Prosecutor General, the Police, the General Inspection of Security Forces, the Ministry of Interior and the Ministry of Justice participated.

“States recognize that hate crimes pose a significant problem for our societies and have committed to addressing them by improving data collection, investigation and prosecution of these crimes and by supporting victims,” said Christie Edwards, Deputy Head of ODIHR’s Tolerance and Non-Discrimination Department. “Today is an opportunity for ODIHR to engage in constructive dialogue with the Czech Republic and identify areas in which we can provide assistance and develop further co-operation.”

Igor Stříž, the Czech Republic's First Deputy Prosecutor General, said: “We are fully aware of both the impact of hate crimes and the importance of building the capacities of prosecutors in this field. Such criminal offences motivated by bias interfere with the very substance of the victim’s dignity. They must be prosecuted effectively and in line with the international obligations of the Czech Republic. Full knowledge of the issue is the first step to meet this goal.”

ODIHR's Prosecutors and Hate Crime Training (PAHCT) and Training Against Hate Crimes for Law Enforcement (TAHCLE) programmes, as well as good practices for inter-agency co-operation and hate crime recording were discussed. Participants also identified ways to strengthen support to victims of hate crimes and co-operation between state authorities and civil society.