114 Towards the Effective Protection of LGBTI Persons Deprived of Liberty Principle 29. Accountability “Everyone whose human rights, including rights addressed in these Principles, are violated is entitled to have those directly or indirectly responsible for the violation, whether they are government officials or not, held accountable for their actions in a manner that is proportionate to the seriousness of the violation. There should be no impunity for perpetrators of human rights violations related to sexual orientation or gender identity. States shall: […] B Ensure that all allegations of crimes perpetrated on the basis of the actual or perceived sexual orientation or gender identity of the victim, including such crimes described in these Principles, are investigated promptly and thoroughly, and that, where appropriate evidence is found, those responsible are prosecuted, tried and duly punished.” LGBT persons face higher risks than the general population of being victims of crimes, including hate crimes, which are crimes motivated by hostility or prejudice on the basis of the person’s sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, ethnicity, disability or other grounds. At the same time, and often because of exposure to harassment and violence by the police, LGBT persons face additional barriers in reporting hate crimes, and obstacles to cooperation with investigators. They may, for instance, choose not to report complaints due to risks of reprisals or precedents indicating that the police will not take their complaints seriously, or that their experience is all too common to be reported. LGBT persons may also fear retaliations from the perpetrators. In the worst cases, where same-sex relations are criminalised, the police may turn against the persons reporting complaints and charge them for crimes such as sodomy or sex against the order of nature. LGBT persons may be abused or extorted by the police when trying to report a crime. Lesbian and bisexual women are reportedly even less likely than gay or bisexual men or trans victims to report incidents of hate-motivated violence to the police. Even in police forces with supposed tolerance for diversity, evidence points to the difficulties of eradicating homophobic attitu-