News and press releases

The SMM continued to see the presence of at least 100 armed persons as well as of vehicles, including armoured personnel carriers, in Luhansk city centre. The Mission recorded fewer ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and a similar number in Luhansk region compared with the previous reporting period. The SMM continued monitoring the disengagement areas; it recorded a ceasefire violation inside the Petrivske disengagement area, outside the reporting period. Its access remained restricted in the disengagement areas and elsewhere, including again near Kreminets and in Luhansk city.* The Mission facilitated and monitored repairs of power lines in Betmanove. The SMM continued to monitor the situation of civilians travelling across the contact line. It visited a border area not under government control in Donetsk region. The SMM monitored a gathering in Kyiv....

MOSCOW, 23 November 2017 – During his visit to Moscow, the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Harlem Désir expressed deep concern about the media freedom situation in the Russian Federation.

Increasing responses to sexual and gender-based violence in Ukraine was the topic of a capacity building event, co-organized by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), bringing together police educators and officers from across the country in Kyiv on 22 and 23 November 2017.

On 23 November 2017 at 06:35 (Moscow time), the sixty-ninth Russian convoy arrived at the Donetsk Border Crossing Point (BCP). A total of 20 vehicles were checked by the Russian border guards and customs services prior to their crossing into Ukraine. All 20 vehicles had crossed back into the Russian Federation by 14:40 on 23 November....

The first nationwide Ukrainian Women’s Congress, organized by the Equal Opportunities Caucus of the country’s parliament with support from the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) and other partners, took place in Kyiv on 22 and 23 November 2017.

The last in a series of four OSCE-supported training seminars for representatives of the government, civil society and judiciary on human rights protection mechanisms in Kazakhstan was completed on 23 November 2017, in the Atyrau region.

ASTANA, 23 November 2017 – The development of legislation and law enforcement practices related to religious activities was the focus of an OSCE-supported roundtable discussion held in Astana on 22 November 2017.