Slovakia Today, English Language Current Affairs Programme from Slovak Radio

According to statistics from the Ministry of the Interior of the Slovak Republic, 68 criminal offenses with a racial or extremist motive were recorded in 2025. However, these figures do not reflect the large number of cases that go unreported. Hate crimes are a problem affecting society as a whole because they target victims based on their perceived “difference” — such as nationality, ethnic origin, religion, language, skin color, or sexual orientation. For years, the Human Rights League, with the support of the Ministry of Justice of the Slovak Republic, has provided accredited professional assistance—including legal, social, and psychological support—to victims of such crimes. On the occasion of the International Day for Countering Hate Speech (June 18), we spoke about the situation in Slovakia, the impact of hate crimes, and the support available to victims with Lukáš Novák, lawyer at the Human Rights League and coordinator of its victim-support project, Silvia Moravčíková, a social worker, and Marianna Heřmánková, a psychologist from IPčko.