News and press releases
News and press releases from the OSCE's global activities.
Georgia local elections 2021: ODIHR election observation mission final report
Publishing date: 8 April 2022
Georgia’s 2021 local elections were competitive and transparent, but took place in the increasingly polarized atmosphere of a protracted political crisis. Contestants were able to campaign freely, although the environment was marred by widespread allegations of vote-buying, pressure on candidates
Roma must be equally treated and protected, OSCE human rights head says
Publishing date: 8 April 2022
WARSAW, 8 April 2022 – Roma continue to face discrimination and marginalization where support and inclusion should be provided, a fact clearly demonstrated by the situation of Roma currently fleeing Ukraine, said the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) on today’s International Roma Day...
Serbia’s elections offered diverse political options, but shortcomings led to an uneven playing field, international observers say
Publishing date: 4 April 2022
BELGRADE, 4 April 2022 – Fundamental freedoms were largely respected in Serbia’s 3 April presidential and early parliamentary elections, and voters were presented diverse political options, but a number of shortcomings resulted in an uneven playing field, favouring the incumbents, international observers said in a statement today. The combined impact of unbalanced access to the media, undue pressure on public sector employees to support the incumbents, significant campaign finance disparities and misuse of state resources resulted in unequal conditions for contestants, the statement says...
Czech Republic’s 2021 parliamentary elections: OSCE/ODIHR election expert team final report
Publishing date: 23 March 2022
The 2021 parliamentary elections in the Czech Republic were well organized and an overall competitive campaign offered voters a wide choice of contestants. Campaign coverage was extensive in both public and private media, and contestants enjoyed generous free airtime. The tone of the campaign was
OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media reiterates call for immediate and unconditional release of all detained journalists in Belarus
Publishing date: 16 March 2022
VIENNA, 16 March 2022 — The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Teresa Ribeiro, today reiterated her call to free all journalists and other media workers who have been sentenced, arrested or detained in Belarus.
OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media calls for participatory public discussions on Malta’s draft media legislation
Publishing date: 1 March 2022
VIENNA, 1 March 2022- OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media (RFoM) Teresa Ribeiro presented today a legal analysis of two Maltese draft laws on media. This analysis is written by an independent international media expert and concerns Malta’s Bill of the Act “to amend the Constitution and various other laws to strengthen the right to freedom of expression and the right to privacy and to implement various measures for the protection of the media and of journalists” and of the Bill of the Act “to provide for the establishment of structures for the protection of democratic society, including the protection of journalists, other persons with a role in the media and in non-governmental organisations and persons in public life”.
Continued obstruction of free flow of information and safety of journalists pose serious restrictions to media freedom in Russia, says OSCE Representative
Publishing date: 27 February 2022
VIENNA, 27 February 2022 – The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Teresa Ribeiro, today strongly denounced the continued deterioration of the media freedom situation in the Russian Federation.