News and press releases
News and press releases from the OSCE's global activities.
ODIHR deeply saddened by death of human rights defender Azimjan Askarov
Publishing date: 25 July 2020
WARSAW, 25 July 2020 – The OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) expresses profound sadness following the death of the human rights defender Azimjan Askarov in prison earlier today. Askarov, a long-standing partner of ODIHR, spent many years prior to his arrest in 2010 documenting police abuse and brutality in his native Kyrgyzstan.
OSCE Project Co-Ordinator in Uzbekistan organizes discussion on strengthening of national Parliament, role of political parties, reforming state and public governance
Publishing date: 24 July 2020
As part of its ongoing series to discuss Uzbekistan’s State Programme for the year 2020, the OSCE Project Co-Ordinator in Uzbekistan on 23 July 2020 co-organized a third online discussion, this time focused on strengthening the national Parliament, increasing the role of political parties, and reforming state and public governance...
Parliamentary leaders call on Foreign Ministers to rectify institutional crisis facing OSCE
Publishing date: 24 July 2020
COPENHAGEN, 24 July 2020 – Members of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly’s elected Bureau today urged the personal attention of the Foreign Ministers of OSCE participating States to address the institutional crisis currently impacting the organization...
Call to save OSCE human dimension by current and former PA Presidents and human rights leaders
Publishing date: 22 July 2020
COPENHAGEN, 22 July 2020 – With the OSCE’s leaders’ mandates having expired on 18 July due to a failure to reach agreement among governmental representatives in Vienna, a group of current and former leaders of the OSCE’s parliamentary dimension called today for immediate action to ensure that the organization can continue to function.
Prosecute human traffickers and deliver justice to victims: OSCE Alliance Conference against Trafficking in Persons calls for an end to impunity
Publishing date: 20 July 2020
VIENNA, 20 July 2020 – Identifying effective ways to improve the prosecution of human traffickers is the focus of the 20th high-level OSCE Alliance Conference against Trafficking in Persons, which opened today in Vienna...
OSCE Chairperson-in-Office Edi Rama takes action to ensure operational continuity ahead of imminent vacancies of Secretary General and Heads of Institutions roles
Publishing date: 17 July 2020
TIRANA / VIENNA, 17 July 2020 – In a letter to the OSCE’s 57 participating States today, Albania’s OSCE Chairmanship announced that the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office Edi Rama has taken prompt action to ensure the Organization’s operational continuity in light of the imminent vacancies of the OSCE Secretary General and the Heads of Institutions roles...
OSCE Project Co-Ordinator in Uzbekistan co-organizes online conference on judicial and penitentiary systems to mark Nelson Mandela International Day
Publishing date: 17 July 2020
The OSCE Project Co-Ordinator in Uzbekistan held an online conference on national and international experiences in liberalizing judicial and penitentiary systems on 17 July 2020, to mark Nelson Mandela International Day. The event was jointly organized with the Commissioner for Human Rights of the Oliy Majlis (parliament) of the Republic of Uzbekistan (Ombudsperson), the national movement Yuksalish, the UN Country Team and the regional office of NGO Prison Reform International in Central Asia (PRI).