News and press releases

TIRANA, 29 May 2018 – OSCE Secretary General Thomas Greminger today concluded a two-day visit to Tirana during which he met with Albania’s highest level officials, emphasizing the importance of broad political commitment to the country’s essential reforms and offering OSCE’s continued partnership....

In its  f inal report  on the 25 March 2018 parliamentary elections in Turkmenistan, the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) said that the elections lacked important features of a genuinely democratic electoral process. The report, published on 30 May 2018, notes that

The SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations in both Donetsk and Luhansk regions between the evenings of 25 and 26 May compared with the previous reporting period. Between the evenings of 26 and 27 May, the SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and more in Luhansk region, compared with the previous 24 hours. The Mission followed up on reports of a civilian casualty in Zhovanka. The Mission observed fresh damage as a result of shelling in Toretsk and Bohdanivka. The Mission continued monitoring the disengagement areas near Stanytsia Luhanska, Zolote and Petrivske. It recorded ceasefire violations in the Petrivske disengagement area and near the Stanytsia Luhanska and Zolote disengagement areas. The Mission’s access remained restricted in all three areas, as well as in Pikuzy, Sosnivske, at a heavy weapons holding area in a non-government-controlled area of Donetsk region and near Leonove, near the border with the Russian Federation. The SMM observed weapons in violation of withdrawal lines on both sides of the contact line. It continued to monitor and facilitate the access of Voda Donbassa water company employees to the Donetsk Filtration Station and of demining activity in order to keep the station operational; it heard ceasefire violations in the area, despite security guarantees. The SMM also continued to monitor and facilitate repairs to the Petrivske pumping station near Artema and high-voltage power lines near Almazna, Yuzhna-Lomuvatka and Veselohorivka.

VIENNA, 28 May 2018 – Greater co-ordination among states in their work to combat trafficking in children, with a focus on those at particular risk, is needed to effectively combat this form of human trafficking, participants said today at the opening of a two-day OSCE meeting in Vienna...

An OSCE-supported five-day training seminar on countering cybercrime for representatives of Kazakhstan’s governmental institutions and law-enforcement agencies concluded on 25 May 2018 in Almaty, Kazakhstan.

The SMM recorded more ceasefire violations in both Donetsk and Luhansk regions compared with the previous reporting period. The Mission followed up on reports about an explosion in a bus in Debaltseve in which a boy died and three other teenagers were injured. The Mission continued monitoring the disengagement areas near Stanytsia Luhanska, Zolote and Petrivske. It recorded explosions of mortar rounds inside the Zolote disengagement area as well as ceasefire violations inside the Petrivske disengagement area. Its access remained restricted in all three areas. The SMM observed weapons in violation of withdrawal lines on both sides of the contact line. It continued to monitor and facilitate the access of Voda Donbassa water company employees to the Donetsk Filtration Station to facilitate repair works and demining activity in order to keep the station operational; it heard ceasefire violations in the area, despite security guarantees. The SMM also continued to monitor and facilitate repairs to the Petrivske pumping station near Artema and high-voltage power lines near Almazna, Yuzhna-Lomuvatka and Veselohorivka.

The SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations in both Donetsk and Luhansk regions compared with the previous reporting period. The Mission followed up on reports of civilian casualties in Zaitseve. The SMM continued monitoring the disengagement areas near Stanytsia Luhanska, Zolote and Petrivske and recorded a ceasefire violation inside the Petrivske disengagement area. Its access remained restricted in all three areas and elsewhere, including near Izvaryne and Sievernyi at the border with the Russian Federation and in Luhansk city. The SMM observed weapons in violation of withdrawal lines on both sides of the contact line. It continued to monitor and facilitate the access of Voda Donbassa water company employees to the Donetsk Filtration Station to facilitate repair works and keep it operational; it heard ceasefire violations in the area, despite security guarantees. The SMM also continued to monitor and facilitate repairs to the Petrivske pumping station near Artema, high-voltage power lines near Yuzhna-Lomuvatka and facilitated access for Vodafone employees to their office in Donetsk city. In Ternopil region, the SMM followed up on reports of an attack against members of the Roma community. In Kyiv, Kharkiv, and Kherson, the SMM monitored public gatherings. In Kherson, the SMM attended a hearing related to a detained cargo ship.