Back Armenian officials and law enforcement successfully completed advanced course on combating hate Speech

Armenian officials and law enforcement successfully completed advanced course on combating hate Speech

From 5 April to 30 May 2024, twelve representatives from Armenia's Ministry of Justice, the Human Rights Defender’s Office, and law enforcement agencies successfully completed an online course on combating hate speech. This course, focused on the European Commission against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI) General Policy Recommendation (GPR) No. 15, was hosted by the Council of Europe’s HELP platform.

The course comprised eight hybrid modules covering key topics such as:

  • Defining and identifying hate speech
  • Raising public awareness and using counter-speech
  • Supporting those targeted by hate speech
  • Self-regulation as a means of tackling hate speech
  • Media, the internet, and hate speech
  • Administrative and civil liability for hate speech
  • Sanctions against organizations that use hate speech
  • Criminal liability and sanctions for hate speech

In addition to the core materials based on ECRI GPR 15, participants engaged with content tailored to the Armenian context. This included overview of Armenia’s legal and institutional framework on hate speech, relevant reports, publications, and case-law information, ensuring a comprehensive and context-specific understanding of the issue.

This initiative marks a significant step towards enhancing the skills and knowledge of Armenian officials in combating hate speech, fostering a more inclusive and respectful society.

This course was implemented as part of the European Union and Council of Europe joint programme “Partnership for Good Governance”, co-funded by the European Union and the Council of Europe, and implemented by the Council of Europe, in the framework of the project “Promoting equality and non-discrimination in Armenia”.

31 May 2024
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Strasbourg, France Strasbourg, 1-2 July 2024
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Addressing hate speech and hate crime: regional gathering of the network of Equality Bodies from the Western Balkans and the Eastern Partnership Region

A two-day workshop on addressing hate speech and hate crime took place at the premises of the Council of Europe in Strasbourg, involving Equality bodies from the Western Balkans and the Eastern Partnership regions.  The event supported by the EU and Council of Europe, gathered 50 representatives from both regions who discussed and exchanged on the best practices, measures and common challenges when addressing hate speech and hate crime. Through monitoring and reporting, policy advocacy, raising awareness and supporting victims equality bodies play a fundamental role in protecting human rights and ensuring that all individuals are treated equally.

In her opening remarks, Angela Longo, Head of Anti-discrimination Co-operation Unit, Council of Europe, underlined the significant progress in engaging with Equality Bodies through this network, regularly exchanging best practices and addressing the challenges of hatred and intolerance in societies. She highlighted that this new chapter of discussion delves into the grey area between hate speech and hate crime, addressing issues of incitement and biases,

Representatives from Equality Bodies had the opportunity to discuss and enhance their knowledge on the Council of Europe's Committee of Ministers Recommendation to member States on combating hate crime, adopted on 7th May 2024, as well as gain a clearer understanding of EU standards in the field of hate crime. Moreover, participants engaged in exchanges with peers from the Spanish Observatory on Racism and Xenophobia (OBERAXE), who shared insights on addressing hate speech in the public discourse. The National Office Against Racial Discrimination (UNAR) in Italy provided practical examples for developing counter-narratives and raising awareness initiatives.

They also explored opportunities to advocate for legislative reform, foster multisectoral co-operation, enhance data collection, and overall improve national mechanisms to counter hate crimes.

This seminar was organised within the action “Promoting equality and combating racism and intolerance in the Western Balkans” and the project “Promoting equality and non-discrimination: towards more resilient and inclusive societies” – co-funded by the European Union and the Council of Europe, and implemented by the Council of Europe  under the joint Programmes “Horizontal Facility for the Western Balkans and Türkiye” and “Partnership for Good Governance”.

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