News and press releases

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...

A five-day training course on human rights education concluded on 6 April 2018 in Sarob, near Dushanbe.

On the occasion of International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action, Tajikistan’s National Mine Action Centre (TNMAC) and the OSCE Programme Office in Dushanbe brought together government officials, international and national state organizations, the donor community and NGOs involved in the Tajikistan Mine Action Programme on 4 April 2018 in Dushanbe...

An international conference entitled "The Role of Women from the Sectors of Security, Law and Order in the Sustainable Development of Regions" was organized by the Kyrgyz Association of Women in the Security Sector in co-operation with the OSCE Programme Office in Bishkek on 30 March 2018 in Bishkek.

VIENNA, 6 April 2018 –OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Harlem Désir today welcomed the release of the head of the Internet TV channel Kanal 13 in Azerbaijan...