News and press releases

VIENNA, 4 June 2018 – OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Harlem Désir, today expressed his concern about the continued detention of Oleg Sentsov, a writer and film director from Crimea, Ukraine, after sending a letter to the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation last week, urging to review the case.

The SMM recorded more ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and fewer in Luhansk region, compared with the previous reporting period. The SMM observed fresh damage in a residential area of Dokuchaievsk. The SMM continued monitoring the disengagement areas near Stanytsia Luhanska, Zolote and Petrivske; it recorded ceasefire violations near the Zolote disengagement area. The Mission’s access remained restricted in all three disengagement areas and elsewhere, including near Izvaryne and Sievernyi at the border with the Russian Federation. The SMM observed weapons in violation of withdrawal lines near Oleksandropil and Tarasivka. The SMM’s monitoring and facilitation of the access of Voda Donbassa water company employees to the Donetsk Filtration Station (DFS) as well as of repair works to the DFS were interrupted due to the presence of anti-tank mines near the station. The SMM heard ceasefire violations near the DFS, despite security guarantees. It continued to monitor and facilitate repairs to high-voltage power lines near Yuzhna-Lomuvatka and Almazna. In Kyiv, the SMM observed a gathering on the occasion of International Children’s Day....

A draft law and regulations establishing a national preventive mechanism (NPM) to monitor all places of detention in Uzbekistan were the focus of a roundtable discussion in Tashkent on 31 May and 1 June 2018. The event was organized by the country’s ombuds institution – the Authorized Person of the

The SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations in both Donetsk and Luhansk regions, compared with the previous reporting period. The SMM followed up on reports of civilian casualties from Zalizne, Shyroka Balka and Horlivka. The SMM continued monitoring the disengagement areas near Stanytsia Luhanska, Zolote and Petrivske; it recorded ceasefire violations near the Zolote and Petrivske disengagement areas. The Mission’s access remained restricted in all three disengagement areas. The SMM observed weapons in violation of withdrawal lines on both sides of the contact line. The Mission continued to facilitate access of Voda Donbassa water company employees to the Donetsk Filtration Station (DFS), as well as repair works and demining activities in the area, in order to keep the station operational. The SMM heard ceasefire violations near the DFS despite security guarantees. It continued to monitor and facilitate repairs to high-voltage power lines near Yuzhna-Lomuvatka and Almazna, as well as to the Petrivske pumping station near Artema...

A change management training course, the last in a series of workshops for the parliamentary services of Montenegro organized by the OSCE Mission to Montenegro in co-operation with the parliament, was held on 31 May and 1 June 2018 in Podgorica.

OSLO, 1 June 2018 – Global migration, digitalization and the role of women present modern challenges and opportunities to effective and balanced language policies, agreed participants at the close of a high-level conference on language policy and conflict prevention held yesterday in Oslo, marking the 20th anniversary of the OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities’ (HCNM) Oslo Recommendations...

BELGRADE, 1 June 2018 – The OSCE Mission to Serbia and the Delegation of the European Union to Serbia launched today in Belgrade a three-year project entitled Support for Victims and Witnesses of Crime in Serbia...