News and press releases

Compared with the previous 24 hours, the SMM recorded more ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and fewer in Luhansk region. Small-arms fire damaged a functioning school in Zolote-5/Mykhailivka. The SMM recorded ceasefire violations and continued to observe an armoured combat vehicle and anti-aircraft guns inside the Zolote disengagement area. The Mission saw weapons in violation of the withdrawal lines in government-controlled areas of Donetsk and Luhansk regions. Restrictions of the SMM’s access continued in all three disengagement areas. The SMM was also restricted at a permanent storage site in a non-government-controlled area of Donetsk region and near a border crossing point in a non-government-controlled area of Luhansk region. The SMM observed a gathering related to LGBTI rights...

VIENNA, 22 January 2019 – The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Harlem Désir, today expressed his satisfaction following a decision by Azerbaijan’s authorities to drop new charges against the imprisoned blogger and chair of the media NGO Institute for Reporters’ Freedom and Safety, Mehman Huseynov. The OSCE Representative called on the authorities to release Huseynov as soon as possible...

COPENHAGEN, 22 January 2019 – OSCE Parliamentary Assembly President George Tsereteli (MP, Georgia) today welcomed reports from Azerbaijan that the General Prosecutor’s Office has terminated a criminal case against anti-corruption blogger and chair of the media NGO Institute for Reporters’ Freedom and Safety Mehman Huseynov. Huseynov has been detained on defamation charges since March 2017 and in December 2018, new charges were initiated against him that could have extended his imprisonment by seven years...

Compared with the previous reporting period, between the evenings of 18 and 19 January, the SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and more in Luhansk region. Compared with the previous 24 hours, between the evenings of 19 and 20 January, the SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and a similar number of ceasefire violations in Luhansk region. The SMM recorded ceasefire violations inside the Zolote disengagement area and near the Stanytsia Luhanska and Petrivske disengagement areas. Adherence to the ceasefire to enable repair works to essential civilian infrastructure in Donetsk region was facilitated and monitored by the SMM. A calm situation was observed by the SMM at the crossing point with Crimea in Chonhar, south-east of Kherson. The SMM followed up on reports of a community changing church affiliation in Shandrovets, Lviv region. Restrictions of the Mission’s access continued in all three disengagement areas. An SMM long-range unmanned aerial vehicle experienced jamming.

VIENNA, 21 January 2019 – The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Harlem Désir, today condemned a physical attack against a journalist in Skopje last Saturday.

VIENNA, 21 January 2019 – The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Harlem Désir, condemned the attacks yesterday on reporters and photojournalists by extremist groups in Athens...

The  final report  by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) on the 30 September 2018 referendum in the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia recommends revising and harmonizing the legal framework to provide clarity to referendum campaign rules, including campaign