Tolerance & Non-discrimination A participant gives his comments on the session to Azra Junuzovic´, the Deputy Head of ODIHR’s Tolerance and Non-Discrimination Department. TAHCLE is customized to reflect and address the circumstances, needs and conditions in the host State, and implemented with law enforcement officers for the benefit of police, communities and society, Zagreb, 23 March 2012. (OSCE/Nevenka Lukin) would impact the freedom of religion or belief. In October, ODIHR published a joint opinion with the Council of Europe’s Venice Commission on the “Law on Freedom of Religious Belief” of the Republic of Azerbaijan. Supporting Law Enforcement Agencies in their Efforts to Tackle Hate Crimes ODIHR continued to work with the International Association of Prosecutors to finalize a Practical Guide for Prosecutors on Hate Crimes. In July, ODIHR held a consultation meeting in Warsaw on the final draft of the Guide. The participants, 28 prosecutors from 23 participating States, also took part in a seminar based on a draft guide. In September, ODIHR trained 22 prosecutors upon invitation of the OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina. 58 ODIHR Annual Report 2012 Support to law enforcement agencies to combat hate crime remains high on ODIHR’s agenda. ODIHR’s Training against Hate Crime for Law Enforcement (TAHCLE) programme was delivered in four participating States. This unique programme aims to improve police skills in recognizing, understanding and investigating hate crimes; to interact effectively with victim communities; and to build public confidence and co-operation with law enforcement agencies. Following the signature of the Memorandum of Understanding to implement the TAHCLE programme in Bulgaria, ODIHR worked with the intergovernment working group to customize the curriculum. In March, ODIHR trained 47 investigators in Bulgaria on how to recognize and investigate hate crimes. Participants were also provided with an overview of applicable legislation in Bulgaria. Likewise, ODIHR trained 60 police officers from Croatia, Poland and Hungary on investigating hate crimes. From 12 to 15 November, after ODIHR signed a Memorandum of Understanding to train law enforcement officials in Ukraine, ODIHR conducted a needs assessment visit to Kiev to determine the extent and nature of hate crimes, understand the current police response to hate crime, and identify policing structures and the approach to police training. ODIHR is working with Ukrainian officials to customize training curriculum and deliver the training seminars to law enforcement officials in 2013. ODIHR presented TAHCLE at the annual meeting of the Association of European Police Colleges (AEPC) attended by senior representatives from across Europe. Following the presentation, the AEPC invited ODIHR to facilitate a training seminar for representatives of its police