News and press releases

ANKARA, 17 April 2017 – The 16 April constitutional referendum in Turkey was contested on an unlevel playing field, and the two sides in the campaign did not have equal opportunities, the international observers concluded in a statement released today. While the technical aspects of the process were well administered, voters were not provided with impartial information about key aspects of the reform, and limitations on fundamental freedoms had a negative effect, the statement says.

The SMM observed more ceasefire violations in Donetsk region, though fewer explosions, compared with the previous reporting period. It observed fewer ceasefire violations in Luhansk region compared with the previous reporting period. The Mission followed up on reports of a civilian casualty in Pikuzy and damage to houses from gunfire in Sentianivka. The SMM monitored the disengagement areas near Stanytsia Luhanska, Zolote and Petrivske, but its access there and elsewhere remained restricted.* The Mission observed ceasefire violations assessed as inside the disengagement area near Zolote. It observed weapons in violation of withdrawal lines on both sides of the contact line, in Luhansk city and Kalinina. The SMM followed up on reports that an explosion had damaged railway tracks near Orikhove. The Mission visited two border areas currently not controlled by the Government. It monitored the continuation of protests outside some branches of a bank in Kyiv, Kharkiv, Dnipro and Odessa. The SMM continued to monitor the situation in Balakliia (Kharkiv region) following last month’s fire at an ammunition depot.

The SMM observed more ceasefire violations both in Donetsk and Luhansk region compared with the previous reporting period. The SMM monitored the disengagement areas near Stanytsia Luhanska, Zolote and Petrivske, but its access there and elsewhere remained restricted.

An OSCE-supported three-day training seminar for police officers in psychological profiling techniques used when policing large-scale events concluded in Karaganda, Kazakhstan on 14 April 2017.

An OSCE-supported training seminar on the judicial application of environmental legislation in civil cases took place today in Astana on 14 April 2017.

WARSAW, 13 April 2017 Michael Georg Link, the Director of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), today called on Russian Federation authorities to urgently investigate the alleged disappearance, torture and other ill-treatment against men in Chechnya based on their real or perceived sexual orientation.

The SMM observed fewer ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and more ceasefire violations in Luhansk region compared with the previous reporting period. The SMM heard and felt explosions within 500m near Molodizhne and Pervomaisk. It followed up on a report of a civilian casualty as the result of a detonation of an explosive device in Vesela Tarasivka. The SMM monitored the disengagement areas near Stanytsia Luhanska, Zolote and Petrivske, but its access there and elsewhere remained restricted.* The Mission observed weapons in violation of withdrawal line in non-government-controlled areas. It visited one border area currently not controlled by the Government. The SMM continued to monitor the status of the blockade of railway routes, noting again that obstacles on the railroad tracks near Hirske were no longer present. The Mission monitored the continuation of protests outside banks in Kyiv, Kharkiv, Odessa and Dnipro...