News and press releases

VIENNA, 30 May 2016 – Senior representatives of Russian and Ukrainian journalists’ unions today agreed to co-operate on steps to increase journalists’ safety and professionalism as they met again in Vienna. The meeting was hosted by the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Dunja Mijatović with the purpose of planning further joint activities to improve the situation for media working in and around Ukraine...

The SMM observed fewer ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and a similar number of ceasefire violations in Luhansk region compared with the previous day. An SMM foot patrol came under small-arms fire near Yasynuvata. The Mission followed up on allegations of shelling between 24 and 26 May near Stanytsia Luhanska and of casualties. It continued to monitor the withdrawal of weapons, and noted armoured combat vehicles and anti-aircraft weapons in the security zone. The Mission’s freedom of movement was restricted on six occasions, including when it lost all communication with its long-range unmanned aerial vehicle near Horlivka...

BAKU, 28 May 2016 – Concluding a two-day visit to Azerbaijan today, the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly’s Special Representative on the South Caucasus Kristian Vigenin (MP, Bulgaria) reiterated the need for increased parliamentary communication in favour of efforts for a peaceful solution to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict...

The SMM observed more ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and fewer in Luhansk region compared to the previous day. The Mission followed up on reports of shelling and civilian casualties. It continued to monitor the withdrawal of weapons, and noted armoured combat vehicles and an anti-aircraft weapon in the security zone. The SMM observed the presence of unexploded ordnance (UXO), monitored the situation of civilians at checkpoints, and observed border areas not controlled by the Government. The Mission’s freedom of movement was restricted on seven occasions. The SMM monitored the situation of demobilized veterans in Chernivtsi and Lviv regions...

The SMM observed a similar level of violence in Donetsk region and recorded an increased number of ceasefire violations in Luhansk region. The Mission conducted crater analysis in Staromykhailivka. It continued to monitor the withdrawal of weapons, and noted armoured combat vehicles in the security zone. The SMM followed up on reports of casualties from a landmine incident in Pavlopil where four Ukrainian Armed Forces servicemen were killed and three injured. The Mission’s freedom of movement was restricted on five occasions, mainly in areas not controlled by the Government...

VIENNA, 26 May 2016 – OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Dunja Mijatović today once again expressed concern about the safety of journalists in the Russian Federation following an attack on Denis Kuchmenko, a journalist and Director General of the Gorod media holding company in Bratsk in the country’s Irkutsk Region...

VIENNA, 26 May 2016 – The Italian Senate should consider pending legislation that would increase the maximum penalty to 9 years in jail for criminally defaming elected officials and judges in light of its effect on free expression, OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Dunja Mijatović said today...