News and press releases

KAMENSK-SHAKHTINSKY, Russian Federation, 10 September 2014- The Observer Mission (OM) is operating at full capacity. Cross-border traffic flows remained steady at both Border Crossing Points (BCPs). The clear negative flow (more people exiting the Russian Federation (RF) into Ukraine) continued while the total number of border crossings increased, particularly after the ceasefire agreement entered into force. The OM observed considerable numbers of persons in camouflage clothing entering the RF from Ukraine, especially at Donetsk BCP. In general, people exiting the RF for Ukraine seem to be more relaxed than during previous weeks...

Key challenges in creating an enabling legislative environment for associations were the focus of a roundtable discussion organized in Warsaw by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) and the European Commission for Democracy through Law of the Council of Europe (Venice Commission) on 8 and 9 September 2014.

On 5 September the OSCE Mission to Serbia donated six computers and one printer/scanner to the Serbian Interior Ministry, as part of a three-country regional project on combating organized crime...

Some 40 representatives from regional civil society organizations of the South Caucasus and international NGOs took part in a discussion in Tbilisi on 3 and 4 September 2014, organized jointly by the 2014 Swiss OSCE Chairmanship and the Georgian NGO Analytical Center for Interethnic Cooperation and Consultations. The focus of the event was on the prevention of torture, the independence of the judiciary, and the institutional and legal framework to combat discrimination...

VIENNA, 8 September 2014 –OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Dunja Mijatović today said that the criminal libel charges filed against journalist Dušan Karolyi in Slovakia are worrying and pose a threat to free media...

VIENNA, 5 September 2014 – Following the continued intimidation of members of the media in Ukraine, most recently a series of abductions of journalists covering the conflict in the eastern part of the country, OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Dunja Mijatović today again said that the attacks on journalists must stop...

PRISHTINË/PRIŠTINA / VIENNA, 4 September 2014 – Following recent threats directed at Visar Duriqi, journalist with the Prishtinë/Priština-based news portal Express, the OSCE media freedom representative, Dunja Mijatović today condemned the threats, and the Head of the OSCE Mission in Kosovo, Ambassador Jean-Claude Schlumberger, called on institutions in Kosovo to provide greater security for journalists...