OSCE/ODIHR-supported study visit of Ukrainian police and prosecutors to Poland focuses on hate crime and freedom of religion or belief

Police, prosecutors and members of the Security Service from Ukraine discussed effective responses to hate crime and international standards on freedom of religion or belief during a three-day study visit to Warsaw organized by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) from 19 to 21 October 2015.

The participants met with representatives from Poland's Ministry of Interior, Prosecutor General’s Office and civil society organizations to learn good practices in countering hate crime.

"ODIHR is pleased to have helped facilitate this exchange of information between our Ukrainian colleagues, their Polish counterparts, and ODIHR staff," said Ales Hanek, ODIHR Hate Crime Officer. "Poland has implemented several impressive reforms when it comes to addressing hate crimes. Our Ukrainian colleagues have had an opportunity to learn from the Polish experience, and I hope that we will soon see some practical results from this visit."

"Freedom of religion or belief needs to be safeguarded in the context of the daily work of law-enforcement and prosecution officials," said Omer Fisher, Deputy Head of ODIHR’s Human Rights Department. "It is, therefore, important for police officers and prosecutors to acquire an understanding of international standards related to freedom of religion or belief and adhere to the principles that underpin them when fulfilling their responsibilities."

The study visit was organized as part of ODIHR’s project on “Promoting Security for Religious Communities and Others in the regions of Ukraine”. One of the primary purposes of the project is to build capacity of relevant state institutions on freedom of religion or belief and hate crime.