News and press releases

VIENNA, 24 November 2015 – OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Dunja Mijatović today welcomed the adoption of a law in Ukraine which paves the way for abandoning state and communal ownership of print media outlets...

Improving the situation of Roma in Ukraine by enhancing co-operation between Roma civil society organizations and national and regional authorities was the focus of a roundtable meeting organized by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) and the Ministry of Culture of Ukraine in Kyiv on 24 November 2015.

The importance of civil registration and personal identification documents and the negative effects on Roma in Ukraine who lack these documents were the focus of an expert seminar organized by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), in co-operation with the Ukrainian Parliament’s Commissioner for Human Rights in Kyiv on 19 and 20 November 2015.

In Donetsk region, the SMM recorded a significant increase in ceasefire violations. Live-fire training continued in close proximity to the contact line, on both sides of it.

The SMM monitored the implementation of the “Package of measures for the implementation of the Minsk agreements”, including the Addendum. Its monitoring was restricted by the parties and security considerations*.The security situation remained volatile in parts of Donbas, in particular around Donetsk airport where the SMM recorded 145 explosions. In Luhansk region a number of training-related ceasefire violations were recorded.

The SMM monitored the implementation of the “Package of measures for the implementation of the Minsk agreements”, including the Addendum. Its monitoring was restricted by the parties and security considerations*. On 15 November, the SMM observed a significant increase in the number of explosions and gunfire from its position at Donetsk railway station. The SMM received a number of reports about fatalities in shelling and mine incidents elsewhere in Donetsk region. It followed up on reports about three incidents involving explosives in Uzhhorod. The SMM observed no security incidents in relation to the second round of local elections which took place on 15 November.

KYIV, 16 November 2015 – The second round of Ukraine’s mayoral elections saw business interests influencing the process in most contests, and many candidates focusing their efforts on local coalition building more than on reaching out to voters, observers from the OSCE Office for Democratic Elections and Human Rights (ODIHR) concluded in a statement issued today. There was little active campaigning. In a positive development, debates were organized between candidates in a number of regions, the observers said...