News and press releases

From 12 to 16 June 2023, gender-responsive policing of violence against women and girls (VAWG) was the focus of a national specialized training course in Bar. The training was organized by the OSCE Secretariat’s Transnational Threats Department (TNTD) in co-ordination with the OSCE Mission to Montenegro.

The Balkan Asset Management Interagency Network (BAMIN) held its first Steering Group Meeting of this year on 30 and 31 May 2023, in Chisinau, Moldova. During the meeting, the Moldovan National Anti-Corruption Centre’s Criminal Assets Recovery Agency took over the Presidency of the BAMIN, previously held by Montenegro’s Department of Confiscated Property Management within the Cadastre and State Property Administration.

SARAJEVO, 26 May 2023 – In response to the recent passing of the draft amendments to the Criminal Code of Republika Srpska, the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHIR) raised concerns about their compatibility with the right to freedom of expression.

SKOPJE/VIENNA, May 17, 2023 – The ninth South East Europe Media Conference, "At a Crossroads: Safeguarding Media Freedom to Protect Democracy," concluded today. The conference was organized by the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media (RFoM) in collaboration with OSCE field operations from South East Europe.

ANKARA, 15 May 2023 – Characterized by a high turnout, Türkiye’s general elections were well-managed and offered voters a choice between genuine political alternatives, but the current president and the ruling parties enjoyed an unjustified advantage. Continued restrictions on fundamental freedoms of assembly, association and expression hindered the participation of some opposition politicians and parties, as well as civil society and independent media, international observers said in a statement today.

VIENNA, 11 May 2023- The current setbacks in media freedom in the OSCE region are not isolated incidents, but are closely linked to the larger political and social contexts in which they occur stated Representative on Freedom of the Media (RFoM) Teresa Ribeiro today during the presentation of her bi-annual report to the OSCE Permanent Council.

United States mid-term elections The November mid-term congressional elections were competitive and professionally managed, with voters actively taking part. Candidates could campaign freely, but the tone was highly polarized and the campaign negatively impacted by harsh rhetoric. In many cases,