News and press releases

SARAJEVO, 19 April 2019 – The OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) presented today in Sarajevo its second report on the monitoring of corruption cases before courts in BiH. The report concludes that the judicial response to corruption in BiH is insufficient, particularly with regard to processing of medium and high-level cases...

A capacity-building training course for staff of the Probation body and Settlement colonies was organized in Osh, Kyrgyzstan by the OSCE Programme Office in Bishkek from 15 to 19 April 2019 on how to support the rehabilitation of persons convicted of crimes related to violent extremism and terrorism...

BRATISLAVA, 19 April 2019- OSCE Chairperson-in-Office and Slovak Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Miroslav Lajčák today expressed his deep regret that the Trilateral Contact Group and its Working Group on Security Issues were not able to agree yesterday on a recommitment to cease fire in eastern Ukraine on the occasion of the upcoming Easter festivities...

VIENNA, 19 April 2019 – The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Harlem Désir, today strongly condemned the killing of journalist Lyra McKee in Northern Ireland, in the United Kingdom...

Strengthening the capacity of police crisis negotiators from across Kazakhstan was the focus of a five-day training course held from 15 to 19 April 2019 in Karaganda, Kazakhstan. The event was organized by the OSCE Programme Office in Nur-Sultan, the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Academy of the Ministry of Internal Affairs in Karaganda...

KYIV, 18 April 2019 – The Trilateral Contact Group (TCG) and its Working Group on Security Issues convened this afternoon and evening in the videoconference format.

Compared with the previous reporting period, the SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and more in Luhansk region. A woman was reportedly injured due to shelling in Zaitseve. The SMM saw fresh gunfire damage to inhabited houses in Trokhizbenka and Dokuchaievsk. The Mission recorded ceasefire violations inside the Zolote disengagement area. The SMM observed a weapon in violation of the withdrawal lines near Novoluhanske. It saw fresh craters near Novoluhanske, as well as anti-tank mines near Petrivske and Vesela Hora. The Mission facilitated and monitored adherence to the ceasefire to enable repairs to essential civilian infrastructure in both Donetsk and Luhansk regions and observed the restoration of the water supply to Dokuchaievsk following the completion of repairs to the Vasylivka water pumping station. Restrictions of the Mission’s access continued in all three disengagement areas. It was also restricted near government-controlled Kamianka and in non-government-controlled areas, including at checkpoints near Bezimenne and Verkhnoshyrokivske and at border crossing points near Izvaryne and Sievernyi.