News and press releases

VIENNA, 20 February 2019 – Following the recent introduction in Azerbaijan of tighter requirements for print media eligible for state funding, the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Harlem Désir, today called on the authorities to focus efforts on developing a favourable media environment...

MOSCOW, 19 February 2019 – On an official visit as OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Minister for Foreign and European Affairs of Slovakia, Miroslav Lajčák today met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov to discuss various issues on the OSCE agenda...

VIENNA, 19 February 2019- The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Harlem Désir today commended the arrest of nine persons in Montenegro who the police say are part of a criminal gang that is responsible for a series of crimes including the attack on journalist Olivera Lakić on 8 May last year...

• Compared with the previous 24 hours, the SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations in both Donetsk and Luhansk regions. • The SMM lost a long-range unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) in non-government-controlled areas of Luhansk region. • The SMM heard explosions and saw two craters caused by the detonation of explosive devices near its residence in Donetsk city. • It saw small-arms fire damage to an apartment building in Dokuchaievsk and to a former kindergarten in Zolote-5/Mykhailivka. • The Mission saw military hardware inside the Zolote disengagement area; an SMM UAV also spotted probable anti-tank mines laid across the road inside the area. • It facilitated and monitored adherence to the ceasefire to enable repair works to essential civilian infrastructure on both sides of the contact line in Donetsk and Luhansk regions. • Restrictions of the Mission’s access continued in all three disengagement areas and elsewhere. It was also restricted at a checkpoint near Verkhnoshyrokivske and at a compound near Donske.* • A gathering in Kyiv commemorated those who lost their lives during Maidan-related events in 2014...

VIENNA, 19 February 2019 – Yesterday’s decision to uphold convictions and severe sentences handed down to dozens of Cumhuriyet journalists is a terrible setback and detrimental to Turkey’s commitments to free speech and independent media, OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Harlem Désir said today...

On 18 February 2019 in Podgorica, the OSCE Mission to Montenegro handed over to the State Election Commission software developed to process electoral data along with IT equipment. This marks the completion of a two year project, providing technical assistance to the State Election Commission (SEC)...

Between 13:27 and 13:38 hrs, 18 February, an SMM long-range unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) experienced dual GPS jamming while flying at an altitude of approximately 6,000ft in an area near Donetskyi (non-government-controlled, 49km west of Luhansk), in proximity of the contact line...