While 9 out of 10 hate crimes never make it to an official report, largely due to victims’ lack of trust in the police, according to research by the FRA, hate crimes committed on the basis of a victim’s personal circumstances are now subject to harsher penalties in #Slovenia, following the adoption of amendments to the country’s Criminal Code.
Factors such as national origin, race, gender, language, or religion will now carry harsher penalties following the Slovenian Parliament’s adoption of a common legal framework requiring amendments to the country’s Criminal Code.
An amendment to Article 49 of the Criminal Code, which sets out the general rules for sentencing, stipulates that when a crime is committed against a victim because of the victim’s personal circumstances, this will be considered an aggravating circumstance when determining the sentence.
The amendment refers to Article 14 of the Constitution, which stipulates that everyone is entitled to human rights and fundamental freedoms “regardless of national origin, race, sex, language, religion, political or other beliefs, financial status, birth, education, social status, disability, or any other personal circumstance.”
The harsher penalty, approved by the National Assembly on 27 January, is the first step towards a new systemic approach to hate crimes, Justice Minister Dominika Švarc Pipan said during the committee debate.
The amendments also transpose the provisions of various EU directives concerning human trafficking, fraud involving EU funds, and counter-terrorism.
For example, a new offence was added to the Criminal Code: the collection of funds for the purpose of financing terrorism.
