News and press releases

The SMM recorded more ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and fewer ceasefire violations in Luhansk region, compared with the previous reporting period. The SMM observed damage as a result of gunfire in a residential area of Dokuchaievsk. The SMM saw two new military positions inside the Zolote disengagement area, as well as military and military-type presence inside the Petrivske disengagement area. The Mission’s access remained restricted in all three disengagement areas as well as again near Bezimenne and Zaichenko.* The SMM observed weapons in violation of the respective withdrawal lines on both sides of the contact line. The Mission continued to facilitate the operation of the Donetsk Filtration Station. It also facilitated and monitored adherence to the ceasefire to enable repairs and maintenance works to critical water infrastructure in Luhansk region, as well as repairs to houses in Avdiivka and demining in Pishchane. In Kyiv, the SMM monitored two public gatherings related to customs clearance, road maintenance and the use of biometric passports...

VIENNA, 20 September 2018 – The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Harlem Désir today expressed his condolences following the news of a tragic death of a young journalist, who died yesterday while filming a police operation at a protest near Aachen in Germany...

Two OSCE-supported training courses for lawyers on development of professional competences and moral compensation for victims of torture and their relatives concluded on 18 September 2018 in Tajikistan. The first course was conducted on 14 and 15 September in Dushanbe, and the second was held on 17 and 18 September 2018 in the town of Guliston.

TBILISI, 20 September 2018 – The OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) yesterday formally opened an election observation mission (EOM) for the 28 October presidential election in Georgia. The mission’s deployment follows an invitation from the Georgian authorities...

Techniques to improve states’ support for victims of hate crime were the focus of an event organized by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) on 20 September in Warsaw on the margins of the Human Dimension Implementation Meeting. The discussions focused on how

VIENNA, 20 September 2018- The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Harlem Désir, today denounced prison sentences handed out to the executives of the Hayatın Sesi TV channel in Turkey...

Experts and practitioners on gender equality and migration discussed the challenges facing women migrants and good practices to promote their rights at a side event organized by the OSCE Gender Section during the Human Dimension Implementation Meeting in Warsaw on 18 September 2018.