News and press releases

VIENNA, 21 February 2019 – Speakers at the opening plenary session of the 18th Winter Meeting in Vienna stressed today the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly’s unique ability to promote a multilateral approach to addressing challenges, including by conveying OSCE values to constituencies across the OSCE area...

VIENNA, 20 February 2019 – OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Slovak Foreign and European Affairs Minister Miroslav Lajčák and the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Harlem Désir today marked the shocking murder of Slovak investigative journalist Ján Kuciak and his fiancée Martina Kušnírová one year ago...

Compared with the previous reporting period, the SMM recorded more ceasefire violations in both Donetsk and Luhansk regions. The SMM recovered the wreckage of its long-range unmanned aerial vehicle near Krynychanske. It followed up on reports of a woman injured by a bullet in Dokuchaievsk and saw fresh damage to an apartment building in Yasynuvata. The Mission recorded ceasefire violations near the Zolote and Stanytsia Luhanska disengagement areas. It facilitated and monitored adherence to the ceasefire to enable inspection and repair works to essential civilian infrastructure in Donetsk and Luhansk regions. Restrictions of the Mission’s access continued in all three disengagement areas, as well as at checkpoints in Betmanove and near Verkhnoshyrokivske and Novoazovsk...

VIENNA, 20 February 2019 – Following the court decision in Kyiv ordering the disclosure of documents of the news portal Novoe Vremya, including the correspondence of one of its journalists, the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Harlem Désir, today reiterated his call on the Ukrainian authorities to respect the right of journalists to protect the confidentiality of their sources.

VIENNA, 20 February 2019 – Following the recent introduction in Azerbaijan of tighter requirements for print media eligible for state funding, the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Harlem Désir, today called on the authorities to focus efforts on developing a favourable media environment...

• Compared with the previous 24 hours, the SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations in both Donetsk and Luhansk regions. • The SMM lost a long-range unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) in non-government-controlled areas of Luhansk region. • The SMM heard explosions and saw two craters caused by the detonation of explosive devices near its residence in Donetsk city. • It saw small-arms fire damage to an apartment building in Dokuchaievsk and to a former kindergarten in Zolote-5/Mykhailivka. • The Mission saw military hardware inside the Zolote disengagement area; an SMM UAV also spotted probable anti-tank mines laid across the road inside the area. • It facilitated and monitored adherence to the ceasefire to enable repair works to essential civilian infrastructure on both sides of the contact line in Donetsk and Luhansk regions. • Restrictions of the Mission’s access continued in all three disengagement areas and elsewhere. It was also restricted at a checkpoint near Verkhnoshyrokivske and at a compound near Donske.* • A gathering in Kyiv commemorated those who lost their lives during Maidan-related events in 2014...

VIENNA, 19 February 2019 – Yesterday’s decision to uphold convictions and severe sentences handed down to dozens of Cumhuriyet journalists is a terrible setback and detrimental to Turkey’s commitments to free speech and independent media, OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Harlem Désir said today...