For the first time, representatives of Ukraine's police, prosecution, and judiciary from various regions participated together in a training programme designed to help them identify, classify, and counteract hate speech in their work. Participants highly valued the opportunity to collaborate across disciplines, with judges, prosecutors, and investigators working together, broadening their perspectives, and enhancing their understanding of this critical issue.
"Even within our legal community, not everyone understands what hate speech is," shared one participant, emphasising the importance of the training. Recognising, analysing, and effectively addressing hate speech is crucial for professionals who intervene when non-legal responses are exhausted, and hate speech escalates to serious, law-violating levels requiring judicial action.
The training began on 20 November with three online sessions and concluded with a two-day meeting held in Kyiv on 16-17 December. This tailor-made training introduced participants to the concept and manifestations of hate speech, criteria for its assessment, and European standards alongside Ukrainian legal practices for handling such cases. The training used the Council of Europe HELP course “Combating Hate Speech” and included exchanges on good practices for addressing hate speech and hate crimes with insights by the police in Austria and the prosecution in Spain.
While participants were familiar with the term “hate speech”, the training presented it for the first time as a social phenomenon with a defined structure and evaluative criteria. This approach provided a clearer, more precise legal framework, resulting to well-articulated judicial decisions that are clear for all.
The training was organised in co-operation with the Main Investigative Department of the National Police of Ukraine, Prosecutors Training Centre of Ukraine, and National School of Judges of Ukraine.
The training is part of the joint European Union and Council of Europe 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 “Combating hate speech in Ukraine”.
