News and press releases

WARSAW, 28 February 2025 – The Law on the Special Registry and Publicity of the Work of Non-Profit Organizations adopted last night by the parliament of Republika Srpska does not meet international human rights standards or the commitments of Bosnia and Herzegovina as an OSCE participating State, the Director of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) Maria Telalian and OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media (RFoM) Jan Braathu said today.

From 17 to 28 February 2025, the OSCE Programme Office in Dushanbe organized a comprehensive two-week training course for the heads of border outposts serving along the Tajikistan-Afghanistan border. The training, held at a border detachment training center in Panj district, brought together 20 officers from the Tajik Border Troops, primarily from outposts in the Khatlon region.

The OSCE Transnational Threats Department held a national workshop for 15 senior representatives of Kyrgyz law enforcement agencies in Bishkek on 27 and 28 February. The event aimed at building the agencies’ capacities to provide systematic and sustainable professional training and development on investigating cybercrimes and other crimes involving electronic evidence.

The children’s ombudsmen of Uzbekistan and Finland shared experiences and discussed possible further co-operation on child-protection issues during an online meeting on 28 February that was organized by the Project Co-ordinator in Uzbekistan (PCUz). During the session, Surayyo Rakhmonova, the

On 27 February 2025, the Project Co-ordinator in Uzbekistan (PCUz) joined international organizations in marking the 30th anniversary of the country’s Ombudsman institution by supporting its annual conference in Tashkent, this year devoted to human rights and the environment. The event was

Fifteen Tajik Border Troops officers participated in the theoretical session of a Training for Trainers course on "Authenticity Verification of Security Documents," held in Dushanbe from 24 to 28 February 2025. Organized by the OSCE Programme Office in Dushanbe, the training included two experienced international experts from Belarus who provided in-depth knowledge on security document authentication.

Uzbekistan's 2024 parliamentary elections were technically well prepared, but the political environment limited genuine voter choice. While there have been some positive developments in the electoral framework, these elections faced significant challenges in meeting international standards for democratic elections. All five registered political parties campaigned under equal conditions, but their campaigns were low key and avoided challenging the ruling party's policies or each other. Media restrictions further constrained voters' access to diverse viewpoints. Election day was calm and orderly, but it was marked by numerous violations and procedural problems.