News and press releases
News and press releases from the OSCE's global activities.
OSCE/ODIHR, Venice Commission recommend Kyrgyz Republic reconsider adoption of draft amendments to law on non-commercial organizations
Publishing date: 21 October 2013
Draft amendments to the Kyrgyz Republic’s law on non-commercial organizations would, if adopted, breach international human rights standards and OSCE commitments on freedom of association, concludes a joint interim legal opinion prepared by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) and the Council of Europe’s Venice Commission and released on 16 October 2013...
OSCE Office announces results of contest on reporting on human trafficking
Publishing date: 21 October 2013
BAKU, 21 October 2013 – The OSCE Office in Baku has announced today the results of the contest for media reports highlighting the problems of human trafficking and forced labour in Azerbaijan...
Review needed on OSCE response to economic and environmental threats, Secretary General tells annual meeting
Publishing date: 21 October 2013
The OSCE needs to develop its capacity to respond to ‘very tangible’ threats to security imposed by economic and environmental factors such as water, resource sharing, energy, migration and climate change, OSCE Secretary General told an annual meeting on the topic on 21 October 2013 in Vienna.
OSCE Office helps strengthen human rights protection, monitoring in Armenia’s penitentiary institutions
Publishing date: 18 October 2013
Training on international human rights standards and domestic legislation for representatives of civil society organizations monitoring penitentiary institutions, and penitentiary servants was held from 17 to 20 October 2013 by the OSCE Office in Yerevan in co-operation with the Helsinki Committee of Armenia and the non-governmental organization Penal Reform International...
OSCE supports exhibition on Kyrgyzstan’s prisons
Publishing date: 18 October 2013
An OSCE-supported exhibition by French photographer Eric Gourlan opened on 18 October 2013 at the Kyrgyzstan’s Theatre of Fine Arts. The exhibition features 40 pictures Gourlan took in two men’s colonies, a colony for women and a colony for adolescents. The images reflect the everyday routine of both the detainees and staff members of the colonies.The project is being implemented with support from the OSCE Centre in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan’s State Penitentiary Service, non-governmental organizations Egl and Freedom House...
Responding to hate crimes theme of OSCE seminar for prosecutors, police officers in Moldova
Publishing date: 18 October 2013
On 17 and 18 October 2013, the OSCE Mission to Moldova, together with the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) and the General Prosecutor’s Office of the Republic of Moldova, held a two-day training seminar for prosecutors and police officers on combating hate crimes...
OSCE representative concerned about recent negative media freedom developments in Bosnia and Herzegovina
Publishing date: 18 October 2013
VIENNA, 18 October 2013 – OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Dunja Mijatović today expressed concern about a damage award handed down against a journalist for defaming the president of Republika Srpska, and other recent media freedom developments in Bosnia and Herzegovina...