Hate speech evaluation guidelines

Paskutiniu metu Lietuvoje skiriama daug dėmesio neapykantos nusikaltimų užkardymui, bet šioje srityje tebėra daug iššūkių. Nepatogumų kelia tai, kad nėra aiškių neapykantos kalbos kriterijų vertinimo gairių ir vieningo Lietuvos Respublikos baudžiamojo kodekso (toliau – BK) 170 straipsnyje vartojamų sąvokų supratimo. Pasitelkiant Lietuvos teismo ekspertizės centre sukauptą ekspertinių tyrimų patirtį, šiame straipsnyje siūlomos neapykantos kalbos vertinimo gairės, mūsų nuomone, galinčios padėti ikiteisminio tyrimo pareigūnams ir nevyriausybinėms organizacijoms atpažinti neapykantos kalbos atvejus bei pagrįsti jų atitikimą BK 170 str. aprėpčiai.The paper raises questions about the expansion of definitions of concepts used in the article 170 (Incitement against any national, racial, ethnic, religious or other group) of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Lithuania. Existing definitions of taunting, disparaging, promotion of hate and incitement to violence are very general, they fail to explain the boundary between unethical and criminal speech and between such related speech forms as taunting and mockery. A more detailed explanation of these concepts would help identify cases of hate speech better and prove their qualification under the article 170 of the Criminal Code. The goal of a more unified evaluation of hate speech, which in turn means a more effective response against hate speech, requires not only more detailed definitions of concepts, but also guidelines that explain the steps and aspects of evaluation. The paper proposes hate speech evaluation guidelines that can be improved and applied by non-governmental organizations and police investigators. The guidelines include examples that illustrate that some of the hate speech expressions are typical and easily evaluated, but there are also more complicated cases