News and press releases

Vienna, 30 October 2014- Following a report by Stimme Russlands Radio (“The OSCE stumbles upon illegal transplantation in Ukraine”) on 1 October 2014, alleging that “The OSCE Special Representative to Combat Trafficking in Human Beings, Madina Jarbussynova, confirmed this information on Ukrainian television and explained that the situation required a thorough investigation by international experts.” and a documentary broadcast by NTV channel on 5 October 2014, stating that “the OSCE Special Representative to Combat Trafficking in Human Beings, Madina Jarbussynova, speculated that the organs had been removed for sale.”, the OSCE Special Representative and Co-ordinator for Combating Trafficking in Human Beings wishes to make the following statement:

Kamensk-Shakhtinsky, Russian Federation. The Observer Mission (OM) is operating at full capacity. Cross-border traffic flows remained relatively steady at both Border Crossing Points (BCPs) and the total number of border-crossings has slightly increased. More people left than entered the Russian Federation (RF) at the two observed BCPs although this return movement has continued to slow down. The OM observed again a considerable number of persons in military-style clothing crossing the border in both directions, few of them apparently belonging to Cossack units. Truck convoys continued to transport coal from the Luhansk region to the RF...

The SMM continued to monitor the implementation of the provisions of the Minsk Protocol and Memorandum. The Donetsk and Luhansk regions remained tense. A number of shelling instances were noted...

LONDON, 29 October 2014 – OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Dunja Mijatović today met with the Foreign Office Minister for Human Rights and International Organisations, Baroness Anelay and other senior UK officials to discuss media freedom issues in the OSCE region...

COPENHAGEN, 29 October – OSCE Parliamentary Assembly President Ilkka Kanerva (MP, Finland) issued the following statement today on the early parliamentary elections in Ukraine:..

The SMM continued to monitor the implementation of the provisions of the Minsk Protocol and Memorandum. The Donetsk and Luhansk regions remained tense. Shelling resumed in the Mariupol area. The NGO “Territorial Defence” in Ivano-Frankivsk is prepared to protect the region from possible military and terrorist threats.

BRATISLAVA, 28 October 2014- Government authorities and non-profit organizations need to engage in regular dialogue on the basis of mutual trust to ensure non-profit organizations are not abused by terrorists or operate as fronts for the financing of terrorism, said participants of a three-day regional workshop which opened today in the Slovak capital...