News and press releases

A two-day seminar on countering the use of the Internet for terrorist purposes, organized by the OSCE Centre in Ashgabat and the OSCE Secretariat’s Action against Terrorism Unit, began on 5 April 2018 in Ashgabat...

The OSCE Centre in Ashgabat, in co-operation with the OSCE Secretariat’s Transnational Threats Department, organized a two-day seminar entitled “Countering Violent Extremism and Radicalization that Lead to Terrorism (VERLT): a Comprehensive Approach”, which concluded in Ashgabat on 4 April 2018. The seminar, the first of its kind in Turkmenistan, served as a platform for policy discussion on preventing and countering VERLT in Turkmenistan. It also aimed to promote a better understanding of the current global and regional trends in VERLT. A particular emphasis was put on regional challenges related to terrorist radicalization.

BUDAPEST, 9 April 2018 – Hungary’s 8 April parliamentary elections were characterized by a pervasive overlap between state and ruling party resources, undermining contestants’ ability to compete on an equal basis, the observers from the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) concluded in a preliminary statement today. Voters had a wide range of political options, but intimidating and xenophobic rhetoric, media bias and opaque campaign financing constricted the space for genuine political debate, hindering voters’ ability to make a fully informed choice. The technical administration of the elections was professional and transparent, the observers said...

The SMM recorded more ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and fewer in Luhansk region, compared with the previous reporting period. The Mission continued monitoring the disengagement areas near Stanytsia Luhanska, Zolote and Petrivske; it recorded ceasefire violations in the Stanytsia Luhanska disengagement area. Its access remained restricted in all three disengagement areas and near Voznesenivka (near the border with the Russian Federation).* The SMM observed weapons in violation of withdrawal lines on both sides of the contact line. The SMM continued to facilitate and monitor repairs to the Petrivske pumping station near Artema and a water pipeline in Obozne. In Kyiv, the Mission followed up on reports of a fire at a church. In Luhansk city, the SMM again monitored a gathering in front of the SMM office...

The SMM recorded more ceasefire violations in Donetsk and Luhansk regions, compared with the previous reporting period. An SMM patrol was threatened by armed men near a checkpoint east of Kreminets. The Mission continued monitoring the disengagement areas near Stanytsia Luhanska, Zolote and Petrivske; it recorded ceasefire violations near the Stanytsia Luhanska disengagement area. Its access remained restricted in all three disengagement areas and at a border area near Sievernyi (near the border with the Russian Federation).* An SMM long-range unmanned aerial vehicle experienced jamming. The SMM observed weapons in violation of withdrawal lines in Luhansk city. The SMM continued to facilitate and monitor repairs to the Petrivske pumping station near Artema and a water pipeline in Obozne. In Kyiv, the Mission monitored a gathering outside the Pecherskyi District Court and continued to monitor the situation outside a television station building. In Kherson, the SMM monitored a court hearing for the captain of a fishing ship. In Luhansk city, the SMM monitored a gathering in front of the SMM office....

COPENHAGEN, 6 April 2018 – Ignacio Sanchez Amor (MP, Spain), Chair of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly’s human rights committee, today welcomed the release of journalist Aziz Orudjev, CEO of the Internet TV channel Canal 13, who was freed from prison in Azerbaijan on Thursday. Sanchez Amor expressed hope that this signals an increased commitment to the rule of law in Azerbaijan. He said that other imprisoned journalists and activists should also be released....

WARSAW, 6 April 2018 – Legislation and institutions created to address racism and discrimination against Roma and Sinti need to be backed with the political will and resources necessary to ensure their effectiveness, Ingibjörg Sólrún Gísladóttir, Director of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), said today, ahead of the 8 April International Roma Day...