News and press releases

Joint Op-Ed by Ingrid Macdonald, United Nations Resident Coordinator in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Ambassador Luigi Soreca, Head of the EU Delegation and EU Special Representative in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Ambassador Brian Aggeler, Head of the OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Bojana Urumova, Head of the Council of Europe Office in Sarajevo

SARAJEVO, 28 May 2025 — The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Jan Braathu, concluded today his first official visit to in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) where he held three-days of bilateral meetings.

WARSAW, 15 May 2025 – The OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) expresses serious concern following the conviction and sentencing of Grigory Melkonyants, co-chair of the independent Russian election monitoring group Golos, to five years in a penal colony, alongside a nine-year ban on public activities, after a verdict by a Moscow court.

BUCHAREST, 5 May 2025 – The first round of Romania’s repeat presidential election was efficiently run and the rights to freedom of assembly and association were respected. However, widespread inauthentic behaviour online by candidates, the fragmented approach of the authorities to overseeing the online space, and a lack of transparency in decision-making had a negative impact on the election process, international observers said in a statement today.

Sarajevo, 3 May 2025 – A free society depends on a free press.  In recognition of World Press Freedom Day, the OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina (Mission) reaffirms its continued commitment to defending the fundamental right to free and independent journalism, as well as the corresponding

Election experts from the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) presented the final report on Bosnia and Herzegovina’s 2024 local elections to government officials, the election administration, courts and representatives of the international community and civil society in Sarajevo between 23 and 25 April 2025.  The visit also offered an opportunity to present the report and its recommendations during a post-election conference organized by the Central Election Commission.

On 10 April 2025, the OSCE Presence in Albania and the General Prosecutor’s Office organized a workshop aimed at enhancing investigative and prosecution capacities of electoral crimes ahead of 11 May parliamentary elections.