Council of Europe Issues New Recommendations on Countering Hate Crimes

The Council of Europe has issued new recommendations on countering hate crimes. The recommendations were presented at a side-event organized by the Council of Europe at the Warsaw Human Rights Conference 2024.

The recommendations were compiled by the Anti-discrimination Cooperation (ADCU) and Hate Speech, Hate Crime and Artificial Intelligence (HSCU) Units. The units implement programs to combat discrimination, hate speech and hate crime, as well as to support the empowerment of minorities and the positive management of diversity.

During the presentation of the new recommendations, the Chair of the Steering Committee on Anti-Discrimination, Diversity and Inclusion (CDADI) stated: “There was a particularly pressing need to develop this soft-law standard. Hate crime violates core human rights and threatens the safety of targeted individuals and groups, and destroys social stability and peace, thereby threatening the very basis of democratic societies.

The Recommendation, among others, provides a comprehensive definition of hate crime to facilitate its prosecution and improve the rate of conviction; gives guidance on different legislative models and a robust protection of victims against all kinds of hate crime, and on enhancing the effectiveness of the criminal justice system, on tackling underreporting by victims, and on prevention.”

The recommendations are available on the website of the Council of Europe: https://rm.coe.int/combating-hate-crime/1680b08c6b