News and press releases

The SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and more in Luhansk region compared with the previous reporting period. The Mission continued monitoring the disengagement areas near Stanytsia Luhanska, Zolote and Petrivske. Its access remained restricted in all three disengagement areas and elsewhere, including again at a checkpoint near Kreminets and at a heavy weapons holding area.* The Mission observed weapons in violation of withdrawal lines on both sides of the contact line, including in residential areas. The SMM continued to facilitate access for workers to and from the Donetsk Filtration Station. The Mission monitored a gathering in Kyiv related to the lifting of immunity of a Member of Parliament and in Lviv it monitored a gathering outside the City Council building.

VIENNA, 23 March – Today OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Harlem Désir wrote to the Slovak authorities to express concern about a recently passed verdict on the case of journalist Lukáš Milan...

VIENNA, 22 March 2018- The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Harlem Désir today expressed his concern over recent death threats against journalists of the portal Insajderi...

VIENNA, 22 March 2018 – “Today, the Internet is the main platform where pluralistic discussions can still take place in Turkey. Further restricting access to the Internet will critically weaken access to information and online expression,” OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Harlem Désir said today...

VIENNA, 22 March 2018 – OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Harlem Désir today welcomed the release of Uzbek journalist Gayrat Mikhliboev...

The SMM recorded more ceasefire violations in Donetsk and Luhansk regions compared with the previous reporting period. The SMM observed damage near residential areas as a result of shelling in Sakhanka and Dovhe. The Mission continued monitoring the disengagement areas near Stanytsia Luhanska, Zolote and Petrivske. Its access remained restricted there and elsewhere, including in Izvaryne at a border crossing point near the border with the Russian Federation.* The Mission observed weapons in violation of withdrawal lines. The SMM continued to facilitate and monitor repairs to a pumping station near Artema, power lines near Svitlodarsk and continued to facilitate access for workers to and from the Donetsk Filtration Station. The SMM visited a border area outside of government control.*...

International standards guaranteeing the right to freedom of peaceful assembly and key principles and good practices for policing assemblies in a human rights-compliant way were the focus of an event organized by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) on 21 March 2018 in Kyiv. The event marked the launch of the Ukrainian-language version of ODIHR’s Human Rights Handbook on Policing Assemblies.