News and press releases

WARSAW, 29 December 2021 – Following two Russian court decisions this week to close both the International Memorial Society and its sister organization Human Rights Center Memorial, the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) expressed profound concern and called on the Russian authorities to ensure a safe and enabling space for civil society.

The 2021 early parliamentary elections in Moldova were well administered, competitive, and fundamental freedoms were largely respected. While lower-level commissions enjoyed trust, key decisions by the Central Election Commission brought its impartiality into question. Candidates had ample opportunities to campaign and voters were provided a wide range of alternatives. The legal framework does not adequately regulate electoral dispute resolution, and the handling of electoral complaints further highlighted the importance of strengthening judicial independence...

BELGRADE, 17 December 2021- At a ceremony held today in Belgrade, the OSCE Mission to Serbia presented its 2021 Persons of the Year Award to: Vladimira Dorčova-Valtnerova, Founder and Editor in Chief of Storyteller.rs, from Maglić, and the Voluntary Firefighting Association of Požega. As the recognition of the 2020 Person of the Year Award was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, on this occasion the OSCE Mission honoured last year’s recipients: Ivanka Jovanović, Executive Director of the National Organisation of Persons with Disabilities of Serbia (NOOIS), and Biljana Stepanov, Director of the Centre for Support of Women from Kikinda.

On 15 December 2021, a meeting dedicated to the 10th anniversary of Mobile Police Receptions (MPR) entitled "Activities of MPR units and social partnership with the population" took place at the Academy of the Ministry of the Interior of the Kyrgyz Republic.

WARSAW, 17 December 2021- As the world nears the end of a second year marked by the Covid-19 pandemic, we see clearly that its impact has hit the most vulnerable hardest, with many migrants who were already facing challenges to access their basic rights now having greater difficulty in accessing employment, education, housing, and even the right to international protection, said the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights on the eve of International Migrants Day.

The 2021 parliamentary elections in Cyprus were governed by the legal framework that generally provided for the conduct of democratic elections; however, the legislation remains overly complex and requires comprehensive review. While the party finance legislation was amended to enhance

The OSCE Programme Office in Nur-Sultan, in co-operation with the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) and the Hertie School of Governance in Berlin, organised a Young Policy Advisers Course (PolAd) from 22 to 26 November 2021 in Nur-Sultan.