News and press releases

VIENNA, 7 May 2018 – Following today’s two court hearings against editor and human rights lawyer Eren Keskin as well as several journalists of the now closed Kurdish daily Özgür Gündem, OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Harlem Désir expressed deep concerns about the immense pressure exercised on the defendants...

VIENNA, 7 May 2018 – The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Harlem Désir today expressed concern over the denial of accreditation to journalists, which prevents them from reporting from the inaugural meeting of Hungary’s new parliament on 8 May...

VIENNA, 7 May 2018 – Perspectives on water management from both sides of the Mediterranean region with a focus on the interconnectivity of its economic, social and environmental challenges, were the focus of today’s OSCE Mediterranean Contact Group discussion held in Vienna...

The SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and more in Luhansk region, compared with the previous reporting period. The Mission continued monitoring the disengagement areas near Stanytsia Luhanska, Zolote and Petrivske; it recorded ceasefire violations inside the Petrivske disengagement area. The SMM’s access remained restricted in all three disengagement areas and elsewhere, including near Shevchenko, Debaltseve and Kreminets. The SMM observed weapons in violation of withdrawal lines on both sides of the contact line. The SMM continued to facilitate access to the Donetsk Filtration Station (DFS) for Voda Donbassa water company employees; it heard ceasefire violations in the area despite security guarantees. It also continued to facilitate and monitor repairs to high-voltage power lines near Yuzhna-Lomuvatka. The SMM visited two border areas not under government control. It also continued to monitor the situation in Balakliia and monitored a gathering in Uzhhorod.

MINSK, 4 May 2018 – The Special Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office in Ukraine and in the Trilateral Contact Group (TCG), Ambassador Martin Sajdik, made the following statement to the press after the meeting of the TCG and its Working Groups in Minsk on 4 May 2018:

A joint Afghan-Tajik-Turkmen Regional Border Management Awareness workshop concluded on 4 May 2018 in Dushanbe. The event was hosted by the OSCE Border Management Staff College (BMSC).

The SMM recorded more ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and fewer in Luhansk region, compared with the previous reporting period. The SMM followed up on reports of a civilian casualty in Bakhmut. The Mission continued monitoring the disengagement areas near Stanytsia Luhanska, Zolote and Petrivske. The SMM’s access remained restricted in all three disengagement areas and elsewhere, including at one of the four crossing points visited at the border with the Russian Federation in non-government-controlled areas. The SMM observed a weapon in violation of withdrawal lines in Pobeda. The SMM continued to facilitate access to the Donetsk Filtration Station for Voda Donbassa water company employees to keep the station functioning; it heard ceasefire violations in the area despite security guarantees. It also continued to facilitate and monitor repairs to high-voltage power lines near Yuzhna-Lomuvatka and to the Petrivske pumping station. In Balakliia, the Mission followed up on reports of explosions at an ammunition storage depot. In Vinnytsia, the SMM monitored a gathering of internally displaced persons.