News and press releases

Representatives of law-enforcement bodies and prison officials involved in providing psychological support to inmates discussed the main principles of their work and learned from international experts about relevant practices in the OSCE region at an OSCE-organized seminar that concluded in Ashgabat on 7 December 2017.

The SMM recorded more ceasefire violations in Donetsk and Luhansk regions, including over 1,300 explosions, compared with the previous reporting period. The Mission continued monitoring the disengagement areas; it recorded ceasefire violations near the Petrivske disengagement area. Its access remained restricted in the disengagement areas and elsewhere, including in Sosnivske and Mykolaivka.* The SMM followed up on reports of a civilian casualty in the Trudivski area of Donetsk city’s Petrovskyi district and observed damage caused by shelling in residential areas in Vrubivka, Novotoshkivske and Pervomaisk. The Mission observed weapons in violation of withdrawal lines on both sides of the contact line. The SMM observed an unexploded mortar round placed on a roadway near Nova Marivka. The Mission visited two border areas not under government control. In Kyiv, the SMM monitored a protest in support of an opposition politician....

VIENNA, 6 December 2017 – The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Harlem Désir today welcomed that, following a series of arrests earlier this week, three people have now been charged with murder in the case of the car explosion that killed the investigative journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia in Malta on 16 October 2017.

The SMM continued to record a similarly high number of ceasefire violations in Donetsk region as in the previous 24 hours. It recorded fewer ceasefire violations in Luhansk region compared with the previous 24 hours. The Mission continued monitoring the disengagement areas; it recorded ceasefire violations inside the Petrivske disengagement area. Its access remained restricted in the disengagement areas and elsewhere, including in Siedove, a settlement close to the border with the Russian Federation.* The SMM corroborated reports of a civilian casualty in Verkhnotoretske. It observed damage to civilian properties from shelling in residential areas in Holmivskyi and impact sites at the Donetsk Filtration Station. The Mission observed weapons in violation of withdrawal lines on both sides of the contact line. The SMM visited a border area not under government control. In Kyiv, the SMM continued to monitor the security situation outside a television station...

The importance of independent detention monitoring bodies in assessing whether state measures to prevent and counter violent extremism and radicalization that lead to terrorism (VERLT) in prisons are human rights compliant was the focus of a workshop organized by the OSCE Office for Democratic

VIENNA, 5 December 2017 – The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Harlem Désir today called on the authorities in Croatia and in Bosnia and Herzegovina to investigate numerous death threats against journalists and ensure their safety, following the recent conclusion of a war crimes court case at the UN International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY)...

VIENNA, 5 December 2017- The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Harlem Désir today expressed concern about the proposal by the United States’ Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to repeal existing provisions ensuring net neutrality, the principle that Internet providers must treat all online traffic equally and without undue interference. As a result of the plan, announced by FCC chairperson Ajit Pai on 21 November, internet service providers would be able to charge more for certain content and restrict access to some sites...