News and press releases

ISTANBUL, 8 May 2014 – OSCE Media Freedom Representative Dunja Mijatović today welcomed a court decision lifting an order banning journalist Aksana Panova from working as a journalist...

VIENNA, 2 May 2014 – OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Dunja Mijatović today paid tribute to media workers around the world and emphasized their essential role in the development of democracy in the run up to World Press Freedom Day on 3 May...

ALMATY, Kazakhstan, 29 April 2014 – A two-day Central Asian Forum on Internet development, co-organized by the OSCE Centre in Astana for the fifth consecutive year in co-operation with MediaNet International Centre for Journalism and the Konrad Adenauer Foundation began today in Almaty...

BERN, 27 April 2014 – OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Swiss Foreign Minister Didier Burkhalter condemned the detention of a group of military inspectors from OSCE participating States and of their Ukrainian hosts in Sloviansk in eastern Ukraine, and called for their release. One military inspector was set free today for health reasons, he confirmed. While this is a positive step, the OSCE continues to work at all levels – through the Special Monitoring Mission on the ground in Ukraine as well as through high-level political contacts – to assist for the release of all the detained persons, he said...

Western, Central Ukraine, including Kiev, as well as many regions of the southern part of the country remained calm. In the regions neighbouring the Luhansk and Donetsk districts some tensions continued – they resulted either from the political polarization or fears of possible activities of armed opponents of the government. The situation in the Luhansk and especially the Donetsk regions was tense with no significant signs of de-escalation...

VIENNA, 23 April 2014 – OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Dunja Mijatović today criticized new legislation increasing government regulation of the Internet in the Russian Federation...

Teams of the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission (SMM) gauged reaction to the Geneva Statement of 17 April. The situation in Western and Central Ukraine remains calm. In Luhansk and Donetsk districts it is tense owing to the continued activity of armed opponents of the central government. In the southern part of the country and in other parts of Eastern Ukraine, the situation was assessed as stable and relatively calm.