News and press releases

To support media outlets in moderating online comments, the OSCE Mission to Montenegro organized a six-day training course for five media outlets from Montenegro from 12 to 17 August 2019 in Podgorica.

• Compared with the previous 24 hours, the SMM recorded more ceasefire violations in Donetsk and Luhansk regions. • The SMM saw that demining works continued inside the Stanytsia Luhanska disengagement area. • The Mission saw weapons in violation of withdrawal lines on both sides of the contact line, including multiple launch rocket systems near non-government-controlled Khrustalnyi. • The SMM monitored adherence to the ceasefire to facilitate repairs of and the operation of essential civilian infrastructure, as well as to enable the removal of unexploded ordnance between the entry-exit checkpoint in Pyshchevyk and the checkpoint near Verkhnoshyrokivske. • Restrictions of the SMM’s access continued; the Mission observed the presence of mines close to the Petrivske disengagement area and inside the one near Zolote. SMM unmanned aerial vehicles were subjected to signal interference.*

Kamensk-Shakhtinskiy, Russian Federation. The Observer Mission (OM) continues to operate 24/7 at both Border Crossing Points (BCPs). The overall number of border crossings by persons increased at both BCPs compared to the previous week.

The OSCE Programme Office in Dushanbe co-supported the Pamir Invest Forum in Khorog and Ishkashim in Tajikistan’s Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Region (GBAO) on 6 and 7 August 2019. The two-day forum brought together investors and foreign entrepreneurs to learn more about investing and implementing socio- economic programmes in the GBAO.

Compared with the previous reporting period, between the evenings of 9 and 10 August, the SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations in both Donetsk and Luhansk regions. Between the evenings of 10 and 11 August, the Mission recorded fewer ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and more in Luhansk region, compared with the previous 24 hours. In Troitske, two women sustained injuries due to shelling, prior to the recommitment to the ceasefire. The SMM saw that demining works continued inside the Stanytsia Luhanska disengagement area on 10 August. The Mission saw weapons in violation of withdrawal lines at the train station in Bakhmut. The SMM monitored adherence to the ceasefire to enable the drilling of wells near Raivka and facilitate the operation of essential civilian infrastructure. The Mission observed a calm situation at the crossing point between Chonhar and Crimea and in nearby areas. Restrictions of the SMM’s access continued, including at non-government-controlled checkpoints near Verkhnoshyrokivske, Zaichenko, Oleksandrivka and Kreminets...

VIENNA, 12 August 2019- Under the theme of “Transforming Education”, International Youth Day 2019 highlights the importance of making education more relevant, equitable and inclusive for young people across the globe...

Compared with the previous reporting period, the SMM recorded more ceasefire violations in Donetsk and Luhansk regions. The SMM observed damage from gunfire at a functioning school in Zolote-5/Mykhailivka. The SMM saw that demining works continued inside the Stanytsia Luhanska disengagement area. The Mission saw weapons in violation of withdrawal lines on both sides of the contact line. The SMM monitored adherence to the ceasefire to facilitate repairs to and the operation of essential civilian infrastructure, including repairs to water pipelines and electric lines. The SMM saw people in queue and others holding “LPR passports” in Alchevsk. Restrictions of the Mission’s access continued, including at non-government-controlled checkpoints near Verkhnoshyrokivske and Staromykhailivka...

Compared with the previous reporting period, the SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations in Donetsk and Luhansk regions. The SMM saw deminers from the State Emergency Service of Ukraine and from non-government-controlled areas working inside the Stanytsia Luhanska disengagement area. The Mission saw weapons in violation of withdrawal lines on both sides of the contact line. SMM long-range unmanned aerial vehicle spotted a cargo train heading west in non-government-controlled areas near the border with the Russian Federation. The SMM monitored adherence to the ceasefire to facilitate repairs to water infrastructure and electric lines, as well as the operation of essential civilian infrastructure. Restrictions of the Mission’s access continued, including at non-government-controlled checkpoints near Verkhnoshyrokivske and Kreminets...

COPENHAGEN, 9 August 2019 – In reaction to recent developments in Kyrgyzstan, leading to the detention of former President Almazbek Atambayev, OSCE PA President George Tsereteli (MP, Georgia) issued the following statement...

• Compared with the previous reporting period, the SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and more in Luhansk region. • The SMM saw fresh damage from heavy-machine-gun fire to a functioning school and residential properties in Horlivka. • Small-arms fire was directed at an SMM mini-unmanned aerial vehicle near non-government-controlled Novoselivka. • The SMM saw deminers from the State Emergency Service of Ukraine and from non-government-controlled areas working inside the Stanytsia Luhanska disengagement area. • The Mission monitored adherence to the ceasefire to facilitate repairs and expansion of water infrastructure and repairs of power lines as well as the operation of essential civilian infrastructure. • Restrictions of the SMM’s access continued, including at a non-government-controlled checkpoint near Zaichenko...

KYIV, 08 August 2019 – The Special Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office in Ukraine and in the Trilateral Contact Group, Ambassador Martin Sajdik, made today the following statement:..

A Central Asian regional seminar on demarcation and delimitation practices concluded on 7 August 2019 in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. The eighth of its kind, it built on the success of the previous events organized by the OSCE’s Transnational Threats Department/Border Security and Management Unit since 2011...

Compared with the previous reporting period, the SMM recorded more ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and fewer in Luhansk region. The SMM saw deminers from the State Emergency Service of Ukraine and from non-government-controlled areas working inside the Stanytsia Luhanska disengagement area. The SMM saw demining activities near Petrivske and accessed its camera site for the first time since 22 June 2018. It saw weapons in violation of withdrawal lines in government-controlled areas of Luhansk region and in non-government-controlled areas of Donetsk region. Anti-tank mines were spotted near Talakivka, Pikuzy and Staromykhailivka, some for the first time. The Mission monitored adherence to the ceasefire to facilitate repairs of water pipelines and power lines, as well as the operation of essential civilian infrastructure. Restrictions of the SMM’s access continued, including at a non-government-controlled checkpoint near Zaichenko...

The OSCE Programme in Dushanbe, in co-operation with the Office of the Prosecutor General and the Interior Ministry of Tajikistan, organized a series of training courses on justice for children from 24 July to 3 August 2019 in Khujand, Bokhtar and Dushanbe...

High-level representatives from Tajikistan’s Ministry of Defence, the OSCE Programme Office in Dushanbe and the United States Embassy participated in the official inauguration of a Regional Explosive Hazards Training Centre of Tajikistan’s Ministry of Defence on 6 August 2019 in Dushanbe...

VIENNA, 7 August 2019 – The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Harlem Désir, expressed his disappointment today at a court ruling in Ukraine fining Hromadske TV for branding a nationalist organization as “neo-Nazi”...

The OSCE Senior Adviser on Gender Issues, Amarsanaa Darisuren, visited the Russian Federation from 29 to 31 July 2019 with the aim of further enhancing links and co-operation in the field of gender equality. She held discussions with representatives from the Ministries of Foreign Affairs, Labour and Social Protection, and Higher Education and Science, as well as the Office of the Prosecutor General and the Office of High Commissioner for Human Rights in the Russian Federation. She also met with the Chair of the Women’s Union of Russia and the Chair of the national NGO Business Women of Russia...

VIENNA, 6 August 2019 – The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Harlem Désir, expressed his deep concern today regarding the court ruling that blocked access to 136 news sites and social media accounts in Turkey, following a request made by the Gendarmerie General Command...

• Compared with the previous 24 hours, the SMM recorded more ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and fewer in Luhansk region. • Small-arms fire was directed at an SMM mini-unmanned aerial vehicle near Avdiivka. • The SMM saw deminers from government- and non-government-controlled areas working inside the Stanytsia Luhanska disengagement area. • It heard ceasefire violations assessed as inside the Zolote disengagement area. • The Mission saw long queues at checkpoints along the contact line. • The Mission monitored adherence to the ceasefire to facilitate repairs of power lines, as well as the operation of essential civilian infrastructure. • Restrictions of the SMM’s access continued, including at a non-government-controlled checkpoint near Zaichenko...

Kamensk-Shakhtinskiy, Russian Federation. The Observer Mission (OM) continues to operate 24/7 at both Border Crossing Points (BCPs). The overall number of border crossings by persons increased at both BCPs compared to the previous week...

Senior prosecutors and law enforcement representatives specialized in anti-human trafficking and cybercrimes from Belarus, Estonia, France, Italy, Latvia, Moldova, Ukraine, the United Kingdom and the United States completed a two-day workshop on 31 July 2019 in Minsk on effective investigative techniques to combat human trafficking for sexual exploitation that is facilitated by new technologies...

• Compared with the previous reporting period, between the evenings of 2 and 3 August, the SMM recorded a similar number of ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and more ceasefire violations in Luhansk region. • Between the evenings of 3 and 4 August, the SMM recorded a similar number of ceasefire violations both in Donetsk and Luhansk regions compared with the previous 24 hours. • A woman died from the detonation of a mine in Zaitseve. • The SMM observed shrapnel damage, which reportedly occurred on 27 June, to a functioning school in non-government-controlled Donetsk city. • The SMM saw deminers from government- and non-government-controlled areas working inside the Stanytsia Luhanska disengagement area. • It heard ceasefire violations assessed as inside the Zolote disengagement area. • The Mission continued to monitor the situation at checkpoints along the contact line. • Restrictions of the SMM’s access continued, including in the Zolote disengagement area due to a spool wire, as well as in Sosnivske and at checkpoints near Novoazovsk, Verkhnoshyrokivske and Zaichenko, all in non-government-controlled areas...

The office of the OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities announced on 5 August 2019 that it is supporting diversity training courses for civil servants in Ukraine over the coming years, as part of its commitment to assist OSCE states working to manage diversity. Integration is a process that

• Compared with the previous reporting period, the SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations in Donetsk and Luhansk regions. • The SMM saw deminers from government- and non-government-controlled areas working simultaneously inside the Stanytsia Luhanska disengagement area. • It observed weapons in violation of withdrawal lines in non-government-controlled areas of Donetsk region. • The SMM monitored adherence to the ceasefire to facilitate repairs of essential civilian infrastructure, including repairs of power lines and a phenol sludge reservoir. • Restrictions of the SMM’s access continued, including at a heavy weapons holding area in a non-government-controlled area of Donetsk region.*

• Compared with the previous reporting period, the SMM recorded more ceasefire violations in Donetsk and Luhansk regions. • The SMM observed demining activities by the State Emergency Service of Ukraine inside the Stanytsia Luhanska disengagement area. • The SMM noted removal of anti-personnel and anti-vehicle mines near a road north of Petrivske; it observed that anti-tank mines on a road between Bohdanivka and Viktorivka remained in place. • The Mission observed multiple launch rocket systems in violation of withdrawal lines in a non-government-controlled area of Luhansk region. • The Mission facilitated and monitored adherence to the ceasefire to facilitate repairs of essential civilian infrastructure, including repairs of power lines and water pipelines, and the drilling of water wells. • Restrictions of the SMM’s access continued, including at a non-government-controlled checkpoint near Verkhnoshyrokivske.*

A five-day second stage of the OSCE-supported train-the-trainer course on detecting forged travel documents and identification techniques for 20 border service officers concluded in Almaty, Kazakhstan on 2 August 2019...

An OSCE-supported training seminar on enhancing dialogue and co-operation between the courts and media concluded on 2 August 2019 in Shchuchinsk, Kazakhstan. Forty judges-co-ordinators, press secretaries, journalists and bloggers from the cities of Kostanay and Nur-Sultan and the Akmola, Karaganda, Kostanay, North Kazakhstan, Pavlodar regions took part in the event...

The OSCE Programme Office in Nur-Sultan supported a two-day seminar on anti- money laundering and combating the financing of terrorism (AML/CFT) on 1 and 2 August 2019 in Almaty, Kazakhstan...

WARSAW/BRUSSELS, 2 August 2019 – In order to acknowledge the suffering of victims and work towards greater tolerance, more efforts are needed to educate young people about the horror of the Roma genocide that took place during the Second World War, said the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) and the United Nations Human Rights Office for Europe in a joint statement on Roma Genocide Remembrance Day...

Compared with the previous reporting period, the SMM recorded a similar number of ceasefire violations in Donetsk and Luhansk regions. The Mission saw a fresh crater and unexploded ordnance near civilian properties on the western edge of Pervomaisk. An SMM long-range unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) spotted military hardware in the Petrivske disengagement area. An SMM mid-range UAV spotted anti-tank mines, some for the first time, near non-government-controlled Nyzhnie Lozove and Pikuzy. The Mission facilitated and monitored adherence to the ceasefire to facilitate repairs of power lines and the drilling of water wells. Restrictions of the SMM’s access continued, including at a checkpoint near Verkhnoshyrokivske and near the border with the Russian Federation, all in non-government-controlled areas...

Representatives of Tajikistan’s government, international organizations and civil society working to combat human trafficking came together for a conference organized by the OSCE Programme Office in Dushanbe on 25 July 2019 to mark the World Day against Trafficking in Human Beings...

COPENHAGEN, 1 August 2019 – Norwegian parliamentarian Abid Raja has been appointed as Chair of the OSCE PA’s Ad Hoc Committee on Countering Terrorism (CCT) and will take up his responsibilities immediately. OSCE PA President George Tsereteli (MP, Georgia) made the appointment Monday and also this week appointed Lisa Chambers (MP, Ireland) as Co-Chair of the CCT...

MINSK, 31 July 2019 – The Special Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office in Ukraine and in the Trilateral Contact Group (TCG), Ambassador Martin Sajdik, made the following statement to the press after the meeting of the TCG and its working groups in Minsk on 31 July 2019…

Compared with the previous reporting period, the SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and more ceasefire violations in Luhansk region. An SMM mini-unmanned aerial vehicle spotted the return of anti-tank mines inside the disengagement area near Zolote. The SMM facilitated and monitored adherence to the ceasefire to facilitate repairs of critical civilian infrastructure, including power lines, water pipelines, and the drilling of water wells. Restrictions of the Mission’s access continued, including at checkpoints of the armed formations near Veselohorivka, Verkhnoshyrokivske, and Yuzhna Lomuvatka...

More than 70 representatives of government officials, academia, NGOs and the media as well as members of the diplomatic community gathered in Tashkent to mark the World Day against Trafficking in Persons with a presentation of the ‘Guiding Principles on Human Rights in the Return of Trafficked Persons’, a publication by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR)recently translated into Uzbek...

To support Montenegro’s public service broadcaster RTCG in its ongoing process of enhancing its professionalism and digitalization, the OSCE Mission to Montenegro organized an in-house training for RTCG staff in Podgorica from 29 July to 2 August 2019 with Stephen Herrmann, the former editorial director of the BBC’s Monitoring service...

An OSCE-supported conference on media legislation in Kazakhstan was held in Nur-Sultan on 31 July 2019 for some 25 government officials, representatives of international organizations, lawyers, journalists and media experts from across the country...

KAMENSK-SHAKHTINSKIY, Russian Federation. The Observer Mission (OM) continues to operate 24/7 at both Border Crossing Points (BCPs). The overall number of border crossings by persons decreased at both BCPs compared to the previous week. On 25 July, the eighty-third Russian convoy of nine vehicles crossed into Ukraine and returned through the Donetsk BCP...

An OSCE-organized seminar on developing effective methods for protecting energy infrastructure from natural hazards was held in Ashgabat on 30 and 31 July 2019...

Compared with the previous 24 hours, the SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and no ceasefire violations in Luhansk region. The Mission saw weapons in violation of withdrawal lines, including multiple launch rocket systems and tanks, on both sides of the contact line. In areas beyond government control, an SMM unmanned aerial vehicle spotted a convoy of eight trucks near the border with the Russian Federation where there is no official border crossing facility. The Mission facilitated and monitored adherence to the ceasefire to facilitate repairs to power lines and water pipelines on both sides of the contact line, as well as to enable the operation of critical civilian infrastructure. Restrictions of the SMM’s access continued, including at checkpoints of the armed formations near Zaichenko, Novolaspa and Tavrycheske...

A public consultation was organized today in Podgorica by the Ministry of Culture of Montenegro, with the support of the OSCE Mission to Montenegro, the Council of Europe and the European Union (EU) Delegation to Montenegro on the proposal for the law on Audio-Visual Media Services. Participants included representatives of media companies and NGOs dealing with issues related to media...

WARSAW / VIENNA, 30 July 2019 – Governments must increase their efforts to combat trafficking in human beings and put the human rights and needs of victims at the centre of all responses, the OSCE said on the occasion of the World Day against Trafficking in Persons...

Compared with the previous reporting period, between the evenings of 26 and 27 July, the SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations in Donetsk region. It recorded no ceasefire violations in Luhansk region. Between the evenings of 27 and 28 July, the SMM recorded more ceasefire violations in both Donetsk and Luhansk regions compared with the previous 24 hours. The SMM observed damage from gunfire to a document processing booth of the Ukrainian Armed Forces entry-exit checkpoint in Marinka. An SMM mini-unmanned aerial vehicle was hit by small-arms fire near Pervomaisk. The Mission facilitated and monitored adherence to the ceasefire to facilitate repairs and maintenance work to and the operation of critical civilian infrastructure, including drilling of water wells near Raivka. The SMM saw long queues at a checkpoint of the armed formations near Olenivka. Restrictions of the SMM’s access continued, including at checkpoints of the armed formations in Kreminets, Zaichenko, and Novoazovsk and at a border crossing point near Izvaryne...

VIENNA, 29 July 2019 – The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Harlem Désir, expressed his concern today about a series of attacks against journalists and the obstruction to media activities during an election-related demonstration on 27 July in Moscow...

An OSCE-supported roundtable discussion on environmental challenges in Kazakhstan’s Almaty region, with the participation of some 35 representatives from the local authorities, the business community and environmental NGOs was held on 29 July 2019 in Taldykorgan...

COPENHAGEN, 28 July 2019- Following reports of detention of more than 1000 protesters in central Moscow over the weekend, the leaders of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly's human rights committee expressed concern about respect for the freedom of peaceful assembly in Russia. Committee Chair Kyriakos Hadijyianni (MP, Cyprus), Vice-Chair Michael Link (MP, Germany) and Rapporteur Susana Amador (MP, Portugal) called on the authorities to fully respect fundamental freedoms and OSCE commitments...

A two-day training course on the fight against smuggling and illegal trade in art and cultural property concluded on 26 July 2019 in Tuzla, Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH). The event was organized jointly by the OSCE Mission to BiH, the Centre for the Fight against Trafficking in Art and the Agency for Education and Professional Training of the BiH Ministry of Security...

The OSCE Mission to Moldova supported an exposure visit for a group of 16 social service providers to a centre for counselling domestic violence aggressors in the district of Drochia, in the north of Moldova on 23 and 24 July 2019. The service providers from the left bank of the Dniester/Nistru River and the Autonomous Territorial Unit of Gagauzia had an opportunity to learn from the unique experience of the Drochia Centre, which has pioneered working with both domestic violence perpetrators and survivors...

Compared with the previous reporting period, the SMM recorded more ceasefire violations in both Donetsk and Luhansk regions. A man was injured from a probable anti-tank mine while driving his tractor near Nikishyne. The SMM saw damage from shelling to a residential house in Nova Marivka. The Mission facilitated and monitored adherence to the ceasefire to facilitate repairs and maintenance work to and the operation of critical civilian infrastructure, including to power lines and water pipelines. Restrictions of the SMM’s access continued, including in Nova Marivka and at checkpoints of the armed formations in Kreminets and near Verkhnoshyrokivske.*

An OSCE-organized week-long simulation exercise on countering drug-related money laundering concluded on 26 July 2019 in Koschi, near Nur-Sultan. It took place at the Law Enforcement Agencies Academy under the General Prosecutor’s Office.