News and press releases

The Head of the OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina, Ambassador Rick Holtzapple, conducted a two-day visit to Canton 10 and Una-Sana Canton, meeting with various political leaders, local government officials, civil society actors, and community representatives. The visit reinforced the Mission’s commitment to supporting good governance, democratic processes, the rule of law, human rights, and trust-building efforts across Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Albania’s parliamentary elections on 11 May were competitive and professionally managed, but they took place in a highly polarized environment and contestants did not enjoy a level playing field. While candidates were generally able to campaign freely, there were reports of intimidation, misuse of public resources and pressure on public employees, which undermined equal opportunities. Election day was calm overall, but procedural shortcomings, instances of intimidation and vote buying, and problems with ensuring ballot secrecy were noted.

The OSCE Transnational Threats Department, in co-operation with the State Forensic Science Bureau of Latvia (SFSB), delivered a specialized training on forensic handwriting examination for forensic document experts from the Main Forensic Center of the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine (SBGS) from 21 to 23 October in Riga.

The OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina (Mission) condemns the use of misogynistic and religiously prejudiced rhetoric directed at STAV journalist Rabija Arifović and other female journalists and members of journalists’ associations. Media professionals must be able to work in a safe and

The OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Uzbekistan (PCUz), in collaboration with the Central Election Commission of the Republic of Uzbekistan and the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), convened a two-day workshop in Tashkent on 20 and 21 October for members of territorial

A two-day OSCE workshop in Ashgabat on 21 and 22 October brought together 27 regulators, supervisory authorities, prosecutors, investigators, representatives of commercial banks, and other professionals to address money-laundering risks linked to virtual assets and blockchain-based finance.

VIENNA, 22 October 2025- The OSCE Office of the Representative on Freedom of the Media (RFoM) and the Forum on Information and Democracy (FID) launched today a new policy manual on “Safeguarding Media Freedom in the Age of Big Tech Platforms and AI”. The publication for OSCE participating States aims to protect freedom of expression and media freedom, as well as promoting information integrity and independent public interest journalism in the digital era. The manual was presented as part of the OSCE RFoM’s “Healthy Online Information Spaces: From Policy Guidance to Pathways Forward” conference, held in Vienna and online.