News and press releases

KYIV, 19 August 2020 – The OSCE Special Monitoring Mission (SMM) to Ukraine refutes recent media reports falsely alleging that an SMM monitoring officer has tested positive for COVID-19...

WARSAW, 19 August 2020 – Following the large-scale arrests of peaceful protestors in Belarus together with disturbing reports of violent physical abuse, the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) calls for the immediate release of all those who have been unlawfully detained and a prompt and impartial investigation into alleged human rights abuses...

COPENHAGEN, 19 August 2020 – In the first OSCE PA election observation activity since the coronavirus outbreak last spring, a limited number of OSCE parliamentarians will deploy to Montenegro for the 30 August parliamentary elections. OSCE PA Vice-President Margareta Cederfelt (Sweden) has been nominated to be the Special Co-ordinator of the Special Limited Election Observation Mission (SLEOM), which will include some 12 observers. The PA observers will work closely with the Limited Election Observation Mission deployed by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights...

An OSCE-supported online training seminar on the filling out and use of the Protocol on the Pollutant Release and Transfer Register (PRTR) for some 45 private and civil sector representatives in the Karaganda region took place on 18 August 2020...

Summary The SMM recorded no ceasefire violations in Donetsk region (compared with 108 in the previous 24 hours) and three in Luhansk region (compared with none in the previous 24 hours). The Mission continued monitoring the disengagement areas near Stanytsia Luhanska, Zolote and Petrivske. Inside

The OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Uzbekistan, in co-operation with the Public Foundation for Support and Development of National Mass Media and with the support of the Agency of Information and Mass Communications under the Administration of the President, is organizing an online training course from 18 to 20 August 2020, to enhance the skills of journalists, press officers, bloggers and other media representatives in the country...

The Observer Mission (OM) continues to operate 24/7 at both Border Crossing Points (BCPs). The overall number of border crossings by persons increased at both BCPs compared to the previous week...