News and press releases

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...

At 12:14 on 5 April, an SMM patrol consisting of six members and two armoured vehicles was stationary, preparing for a scheduled flight of its mid-range unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) while positioned on road H15, 2km east of a checkpoint of the armed formations east of Kreminets (non-government controlled, 16km south-west of Donetsk). Just before that, a blue Lada car (with plates AA237 and with “police” markings in Russian) travelling west to east turned around towards the SMM. Three men (one in camouflage clothing, two in blue police-type attire) then emerged from the car, each carrying an assault rifle (AK-variant, hanging down over their shoulders), and approached the patrol. The man in camouflage clothing introduced himself (in Russian) as a “commander of a special unit”. He said it was a “no-fly zone” and that they were not informed of the SMM’s activities with the UAV. The SMM explained the mandate of the Mission and its activities, including the operation of UAVs.