News and press releases
News and press releases from the OSCE's global activities.
High-level OSCE PA participation at Europe’s largest human rights conference
Publishing date: 21 September 2018
COPENHAGEN, 21 September 2018 – Several leaders of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly have actively participated over the past two weeks in the Human Dimension Implementation Meeting, organized by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights and the Italian OSCE Chairmanship, speaking at working sessions on democracy, fundamental freedoms, rights of migrants, human trafficking, and freedom of the media...
OSCE Representative calls on Russia to drop legislative amendments that could undermine freedom of expression and access to information
Publishing date: 21 September 2018
VIENNA, 21 September 2018 – In a letter to the authorities of the Russian Federation the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Harlem Désir, expressed his concern regarding the proposed amendments to the country’s Code of Administrative Offences and the Criminal Code, which were adopted yesterday in the final reading by the lower house of parliament, the State Duma. The amendments, among other things, strengthen the penalties for the dissemination of ‘false’ information related to defamation and information that affects privacy protection...
OSCE media freedom representative expresses his condolences following tragic death of journalist in Germany
Publishing date: 20 September 2018
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...
OSCE Representative denounces prison sentences for owners and general director of Hayatın Sesi TV in Turkey
Publishing date: 20 September 2018
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...
OSCE media freedom representative welcomes decision by European Court of Human Rights to safeguard phone data of Ukrainian journalist
Publishing date: 19 September 2018
VIENNA, 19 September 2018 – The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Harlem Désir, welcomed yesterday’s decision by the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) on an interim measure which indicates to the Ukrainian authorities to abstain from accessing the mobile telephone data of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) investigative reporter Natalya Sedletska...
OSCE donates radio and television equipment to the Media Academy in Tajikistan
Publishing date: 17 September 2018
The OSCE Programme Office in Dushanbe handed over technical equipment as a donation to the Media Academy of Tajikistan’s State Television and Radio Committee. The handover ceremony took place in the premises of the Media Academy in Dushanbe on 15 September 2018...
OSCE Representative welcomes landmark decision by European Court of Human Rights on Investigatory Powers Act in the United Kingdom
Publishing date: 14 September 2018
VIENNA, 14 September 2018 – The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Harlem Désir, welcomed yesterday’s highly significant decision by the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR), which found that the United Kingdom’s Investigatory Powers Act threatened the confidentiality of journalists’ sources. The Representative previously warned of the potential threat to journalists posed by this law.