Judges step up fight against hate speech and discrimination

As part of a joint initiative between the Council of Europe and the National School of Judges of Ukraine, a pool of trainers has been established to promote the dissemination of knowledge and the implementation of European standards in the field of combating hate speech and discrimination in judicial practice.

In March–April 2026, a series of training sessions for judges was held on the topic of combating hate speech and discrimination, organised as part of the projects ‘Support for the Reform of the Legislative Framework on National Minorities’ and the joint European Union–Council of Europe project ‘Support for the Implementation of European Standards on Combating Discrimination and the Rights of National Minorities in Ukraine’.

The organisational and methodological support for the training course was provided by the Deputy Head of the Teacher Training Department at the National School of Judges of Ukraine, Tamara Zakrevska.

The course was designed to strengthen judges’ ability to apply international and European standards in cases involving hate speech and discrimination. Participation in the events enabled participants to deepen their knowledge of the case law of the European Court of Human Rights, the standards of the Council of Europe and the European Union, and to acquire practical tools for dealing with such cases.

The training was delivered in a hybrid format and comprised three online webinars held on 11, 18 and 25 March 2026, as well as a face-to-face session held on 1 April 2026 in Kyiv.

The course covered, in particular, international standards in the field of non-discrimination, the case law of national courts and the European Court of Human Rights, the protection of vulnerable groups and intersectional discrimination, procedural and ethical aspects of case handling, as well as the use of expert evidence in cases of this category.

Following the training, a pool of trained trainers was formed, who are ready to share their acquired knowledge and experience and to participate in the further training of judges and judicial system staff.

The course contributed to enhancing the professional competence of judges and developing a consistent approach to hearing cases involving hate speech and discrimination, in line with European standards.