News and press releases

WARSAW, 15 November 2024 – Making the bias motivation behind all hate crimes visible and ensuring they are prosecuted correctly is essential to protect the rights of victims and at the same time ensure effective policies to prevent and address hate crime, said the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) on launching its annual hate crime report ahead of the 2024 International Day for Tolerance

To mark the International Day for the Prevention of and Fight against all Forms of Transnational Organized Crime on 15 November, the OSCE’s Transnational Threats Department (TNTD) held a webinar to discuss the role of women in organized criminal groups. The webinar brought together over x participants including policymakers, criminal justice practitioners, academia and civil society.

The OSCE Troika convened the second Annual Meeting of the Expert Network on the OSCE on 11 and 12 November. The Network was launched in November 2023 in Skopje by the OSCE 2023 Chairpersonship of North Macedonia and former Secretary General Helga Schmid. The Network gathers experts, academics and think tanks from various participating States and aims to serve as a point of consultation and dialogue on the three dimensions of the OSCE.

As new techniques for obfuscating virtual assets transactions emerge, staying up-to-date in investigative capabilities to counter these threats effectively becomes all the more important. To strengthen Moldova’s ability to combat crypto-related crime, the Office of the Co-ordinator of OSCE Economic and Environmental Activities (OCEEA), in collaboration with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), organized a specialized training session on “Investigation of Blockchain Obfuscation Techniques” in Chisinau from 13 to 15 November.

From 12 to 14 November, the Office of the Co-ordinator of OSCE Economic and Environmental Activities (OCEEA) organized a study visit to Italy’s Guardia di Finanza (GdF) and the Italian National Anti-Corruption Authority for 21 Moldovan law enforcement and criminal justice practitioners.

The OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina (Mission) organized a three-day workshop on International Criminal Law and Transitional Justice (ICLTJ) from the 13 to 15 November in Mostar. The workshop concluded with in the organization of a moot court. The event brought together law students from state universities across BiH as well as legal practitioners and transitional justice experts to enhance skills, foster dialogue, and promote a deeper understanding of justice processes.

On 14-15 November 2024, the OSCE Project Co-Ordinator in Uzbekistan (PCUz), in co-operation with the National Human Rights Centre (NHRC) of the Republic of Uzbekistan and the Main Directorate for the Execution of Punishments, organized a two-day training on Forensic Medical Documentation of torture