News and press releases

The Kyrgyz Association of Women in the Security Sector (KAWSS) was established on 2 March 2017 in Bishkek at a founding conference organized by the OSCE Centre in co-operation with the Kyrgyz Association of Women Police (KAWP), the Presidential Administration, the Parliament, the Defence Council, the Supreme Court, the Government, the Prime Minister’s Office, the Interior Ministry and all state security-providing structures. The aim of the Association is to increase the role of women in the security sector governance field. The conference brought together around 100 delegates representing the above-mentioned national stakeholders, civil society and international organizations...

VIENNA/WARSAW, 6 March 2017 – Dunja Mijatović, OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, and Michael Georg Link, Director of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), today condemned the sentencing of Azerbaijani blogger and chair of the media NGO Institute for Reporters’ Freedom and Safety Mehman Huseynov and called on authorities to release him...

The SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations in both Donetsk and Luhansk regions compared with the previous reporting period. It followed up on a civilian casualty in Zolote-4 and observed damage from gunfire and shelling in Kalynove, Donetskyi and Avdiivka (at a site where an SMM camera is positioned). The Mission continued monitoring the disengagement areas in Stanytsia Luhanska, Petrivske and Zolote but its access remained restricted.* It recorded ceasefire violations near the Zolote disengagement area...

At 11:15 on 3 March, positioned south-west of  “DPR”-controlled Khreshchatytske (formerly Krasnoarmiiske, 33km north-east of Mariupol) the SMM observed what it assessed to be two self-propelled howitzers (2S1 Gvozdika, 122mm) and one command vehicle moving from south to north and turning east at locations 2-3km east from SMM’s position. The SMM moved further south-east, and at 11:50 reached a location about 500m east of the spot where it had assessed the weapons could be located...

The SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations in Donetsk region. In Luhansk region, the Mission recorded more ceasefire violations, including more than twice as many explosions compared with the previous reporting period. It followed up on casualties in Kurakhove and Popasna and observed damage from shelling on both sides of the contact line in Zolote. The Mission continued monitoring the disengagement areas in Stanytsia Luhanska, Petrivske and Zolote but its access remained restricted.* The Mission heard artillery explosions and heavy-machine-gun fire near the Zolote disengagement area. The Mission monitored the blockade of routes crossing the contact line in four locations. It visited two border areas not under government control. The SMM monitored a protest in Chernivtsi...

CHISINAU, 3 March 2017 – The Personal Representative of the Austrian OSCE Chairperson-in-Office on Combating Anti-Semitism, Rabbi Andrew Baker, today concluded his first official visit to Moldova, where he met with government and Jewish community representatives to discuss measures to strengthen the commemoration and study of the Holocaust in Moldova and to combat anti-Semitism, intolerance and hate crimes...

VIENNA, 3 March 2017 – OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Dunja Mijatović today called on Georgian authorities to ensure media independence and pluralism following a Supreme Court ruling ordering a change of ownership of the Rustavi 2 television channel...