News and press releases

A four-day training workshop on issues related to the strategic trade control in Tajikistan, organized by the OSCE Programme Office in Dushanbe, concluded on 23 December 2021.

The 2021 early parliamentary elections in Moldova were well administered, competitive, and fundamental freedoms were largely respected. While lower-level commissions enjoyed trust, key decisions by the Central Election Commission brought its impartiality into question. Candidates had ample opportunities to campaign and voters were provided a wide range of alternatives. The legal framework does not adequately regulate electoral dispute resolution, and the handling of electoral complaints further highlighted the importance of strengthening judicial independence...

On 15 December 2021 in Nur-Sultan, Volker Frobarth, Head of the OSCE Programme Office in Nur-Sultan and Nail Akhmetzakirov, Head of the Department for Provision of Courts’ Activity under the Supreme Court of Kazakhstan signed a Memorandum of Understanding for the extra budgetary project on Improving the Effectiveness of the Justice System in Kazakhstan.

VIENNA, 20 December 2021 – In response to the recent parliamentary approval of a draft bill that excludes companies from outside of the European Economic Area (EEA) to hold broadcasting licenses in Poland, the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Teresa Ribeiro today reiterated her concern for its wider implications for media freedom and called on President Andrzej Duda to veto it.

On 17 December 2021, OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Teresa Ribeiro met with the Permanent Representative of the United States of America to the OSCE, Ambassador Michael Carpenter. They discussed current developments on media freedom and freedom of expression in the United States and the wider OSCE region.

The OSCE Mission in Kosovo and the Independent Media Commission (IMC) have launched a campaign to engage the public in contributing to better audio-visual media content, and ensuring broadcasters abide by the law and code of conduct.

The OSCE Mission to Montenegro launched an awareness-raising campaign against hate speech on 20 December. The campaign highlights the importance of advocacy efforts to stop hate speech online.