News and press releases

COPENHAGEN, 13 June 2019 – Following mass arrests of peaceful demonstrators in recent days in Moscow, Russia, and several cities in Kazakhstan, the leaders of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly’s human rights committee call for full respect of fundamental freedoms of assembly and expression...

On 11 June, the OSCE Mission in Kosovo started a series of employment fairs for members of Kosovo Roma, Kosovo Ashkali, and Kosovo Egyptian communities in Pejë/Peć. The employment fairs aim to create a bridge between potential employers and employees, and to provide community members with a network for career exploration...

An OSCE-supported on-site training and evaluation workshop under an UN Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) project on improving mining and tailings safety, with special attention to transboundary implications on the territories of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, concluded on 13 June 2019 in Kokshetau, Kazakhstan.

On 11 June 2019 the OSCE Academy in Bishkek and the Moscow State Institute of International Relations of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia (MGIMO) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), which will allow for closer academic exchange between the two institutions, research internship opportunities for OSCE Academy students, and the implementation of joint projects...

VIENNA, 12 June 2019- The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Harlem Désir, called on the Russian authorities to respect the rights of journalists to cover public events and release all detained media workers, following the peaceful demonstration in Moscow today.

• Compared with the previous reporting period, the Mission recorded fewer ceasefire violations in both Donetsk and Luhansk regions. • A girl was injured due to an explosion near Vesele and a woman was injured due to shelling in Zaitseve. • The SMM saw fresh damage and craters caused by shelling near residential houses in Pikuzy. • It saw weapons in violation of withdrawal lines on both sides of the contact line. • Anti-tank mines were spotted near Krasnohorivka and Olenivka, some for the first time, and unexploded ordnance was seen near Donetsk city. • Civilians faced hardship and long queues at checkpoints in Luhansk and Donetsk regions. • The SMM facilitated and monitored adherence to the ceasefire to enable repairs to and the operation of critical civilian infrastructure on both sides of the contact line. • Restrictions of the SMM’s access continued in all three disengagement areas and elsewhere. The SMM’s freedom of movement was also restricted at a heavy weapons holding area in a government-controlled area of Donetsk region and at a border crossing point near non-government-controlled Dovzhanske.*

A roundtable meeting on the rehabilitation and reintegration of juvenile offenders was held in Dushanbe on 11 June 2019. The event was jointly organized by the OSCE Programme Office in Dushanbe and Tajikistan’s Ministry of Justice.

Albania, Finland and Poland have renewed the mandates or, alternatively, appointed new members to the OSCE Court of Conciliation and Arbitration Court for new terms of six years after the previous mandates of their members expired. The appointments of the conciliators, the arbitrators and their alternates were made in accordance with Articles 3 and 4 of the Convention on Conciliation and Arbitration within the OSCE, which was signed in 1992 in Stockholm...

VIENNA, 12 June 2019 – Following reports that several journalists have been verbally assaulted and intimidated in recent days in Moldova, the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Harlem Désir, today called on the authorities to ensure safe working conditions for journalists...

OSCE Secretary General Thomas Greminger and other high-level OSCE officials visited the Austrian Armed Forces International Centre (AUTINT) in Götzendorf, Lower Austria, on 24 May 2019 to mark the fifth anniversary of the Centre’s provision of pre-deployment training for the Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine (SMM). He was accompanied by the Chief Monitor of the SMM, Ertugrul Apakan, the Deputy Permanent Representative of Slovakia to the OSCE, Ambassador Katarina Zakova, and the current Chief of the Austrian General Staff Directorate, Major General Bruno Hofbauer.

SKOPJE, 12 June 2019 – The OSCE Mission to Skopje presented today the second interim report on the activities and cases of the Special Prosecutor’s Office (SPO), resulting from the Mission’s trial monitoring observations.

Vienna, 11 June 2019- The report of the International Conference on Tackling Modern Slavery, Forced Labour and Human Trafficking in Public Procurement Supply Chains, held in London in March this year, was published today.

• Compared with the previous 24 hours, the Mission recorded fewer ceasefire violations both in Donetsk and Luhansk regions. • The SMM observed damage from small-arms fire to civilian properties in Chermalyk. • It saw a weapon in violation in non-government-controlled Boikivske. • The Mission continued to observe long queues of civilians at checkpoints along the contact line. • The SMM facilitated and monitored adherence to the ceasefire to enable repairs to and the operation of critical civilian infrastructure on both sides of the contact line. • Restrictions of the SMM’s access continued in all three disengagement areas and elsewhere.*

An OSCE-supported seminar on best practices in anti-money laundering (AML) and countering the financing of terrorism (CFT) in the sector of designated non-financial businesses and professions (DNFBP) took place in Ashgabat from 10 to 11 June 2019. The event was organized by the OSCE Centre in Ashgabat, jointly with the Ministry of Finance and Economy of Turkmenistan and its Financial Monitoring Service.

VIENNA, 11 June 2019 – The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Harlem Désir, today condemned the attack on Vadim Makaryuk, a cameraman for the 24th channel and Visti.News portal, and called on the Ukrainian authorities to thoroughly investigate the incident...

KYIV, 11 June 2019 – The OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) today formally opened an election observation mission (EOM) for the 21 July early parliamentary elections in Ukraine. The mission’s deployment follows an invitation from the country’s authorities...

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 staff of local public broadcasters enhanced their project writing skills to help them better respond to various calls for project proposals during a two-day training course organized by the OSCE Mission to Montenegro on 6 and 7 June 2019 in Podgorica...

Forty psychologists and social workers from NGOs and shelters specialized in counselling victims of domestic violence participated in two OSCE-supported workshops in Tiraspol from 3 to 5 June and in Ribnita from 6 to 8 June 2019. They learned about best practices in assisting women in managing trauma and post-traumatic stress disorder...

An exhibition with students’ artworks on the topic of corruption opened at Jordan Misja Fine Arts School in Tirana on 10 June 2019. The exhibition showcased 30 of the best works out of 70 that the school’s students created as part of a competition organized by the OSCE Presence in Albania. Through this exhibition, the Presence aims to raise awareness of the topic of corruption by fostering discussion and reflection among the students and the public...

An OSCE-supported seminar on the mechanisms for the legal regulation and digital security of media on the internet took place on 10 June 2019 in Taldykorgan, Kazakhstan. The event was co-organized with the NGO Legal Media Centre

Bratislava/Nicosia, 10 June 2019 – OSCE Chairperson-in-Office and Slovakia’s Foreign and European Affairs Minister Miroslav Lajčák expressed his concern today regarding the latest developments in Albania, which may deepen the political crisis further and bring the functioning of the state institutions to a standstill.

This report is for the media and the general public. Summary Compared with the previous reporting period, between the evenings of 7 and 8 June the Mission recorded fewer ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and more in Luhansk region. Between the evenings of 8 and 9 June, the SMM recorded more

SARAJEVO, 10 June 2019 – The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) presented today in Sarajevo its publication on referral mechanisms for preventing and countering violent extremism and radicalization that lead to terrorism (P/CVERLT)...

NUR-SULTAN, 10 June 2019 – While there was potential for Kazakhstan’s early presidential election to become a force for political change, a lack of regard for fundamental rights, including detentions of peaceful protestors, and widespread voting irregularities on election day, showed scant respect for democratic standards, international observers concluded in a preliminary statement published today.

VIENNA, 10 June 2019- OSCE Chairperson-in-Office and Slovakia’s Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Miroslav Lajčák called today on all political forces in the Republic of Moldova to overcome the current political crisis through dialogue, acting on the basis of the Constitution of the Republic of Moldova and the respect for democratic principles and the rule of law.

In the afternoon of 9 June, an SMM patrol consisting of six members and two armoured vehicles was positioned about 45m east of a checkpoint of the armed formations about 1.2km south-west of Molodizhne (non-government-controlled, 63km north-west of Luhansk), to monitor the security situation. At 14:34, two members of the armed formations approached the SMM, briefly spoke to three SMM patrol members who were outside the vehicles and returned to the checkpoint.

Compared with the previous reporting period, the SMM recorded more ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and fewer in Luhansk region. The SMM recorded an undetermined explosion inside the disengagement area near Stanytsia Luhanska. It saw weapons in violation of withdrawal lines near residential houses in Chernenko. The Mission saw mines near Pisky, Lozove, and Travneve, some for the first time, and unexploded ordnance in Pikuzy and near the entry-exit checkpoint near Maiorsk. It facilitated and monitored adherence to the ceasefire to enable repairs to and the operation of critical civilian infrastructure on both sides of the contact line. The SMM saw people apply for passports of the Russian Federation in Antratsyt and Dokuchaievsk. It monitored the announcement of a court verdict regarding the attack of Kateryna Handziuk. Restrictions of the SMM’s access continued in all three disengagement areas and elsewhere. The SMM’s freedom of movement was also restricted in non-government-controlled southern Donetsk region at a checkpoint near Shevchenko.

VIENNA, 7 June 2019 – OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Harlem Désir today expressed serious concern regarding the detention of the investigative journalist, Ivan Golunov, in Moscow.

Compared with the previous reporting period, the SMM recorded more ceasefire violations in both Donetsk and Luhansk regions. The SMM observed damage to roofs of Bakhmut Agrarian Union's pig farm buildings near Novoluhanske and fresh craters in a residential area of Pikuzy. Small-arms fire was directed at an SMM mini-unmanned aerial vehicle inside the Zolote disengagement area. The Mission observed for the first time about 280 anti-tank mines near non-government-controlled Staromykhailivka. The Mission facilitated and monitored adherence to the ceasefire to enable repairs to and the operation of critical civilian infrastructure on both sides of the contact line. Restrictions of the SMM’s access continued in all three disengagement areas and elsewhere.

Funding models for television in the 21st century was the topic of an OSCE-organized seminar that took place in Ashgabat on 5 and 6 June 2019.

National human rights institutions (NHRIs) are uniquely placed to monitor the economic and social rights policies of their states and evaluate the allocation of resources to ensure effective protection of these rights, said participants in the annual NHRI Academy, which took place in Venice from 3 to 7 June 2019.

Sixty-two district prosecutors and judges from first instance and appellate courts upgraded their skills in investigating and prosecuting cyber-crimes involving children at two OSCE-supported workshops organized jointly with the National Institute of Justice (NIJ) from 4 to 7 June 2019 in Vadul-lui-Voda, Moldova...

Horticulture, greenhouse management, use of information technologies in farming and forming and managing co-operatives in the farming sector were the focus of a five-day training and study trip organized by the Project Co-ordinator in Uzbekistan for ten Uzbek women farmers to the Netherlands, from 3 to 7 June 2019...

Compared with the previous reporting period, the SMM recorded more ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and fewer in Luhansk region. Windows damaged by small-arms fire in a residential area of Zolote-5/Mykhailivka. The SMM recorded ceasefire violations inside the Zolote disengagement area. The SMM observed weapons in violation of withdrawal lines in non-government-controlled areas of Luhansk region. The Mission observed for the first time about 160 anti-tank mines near government-controlled Krasnohorivka. The Mission facilitated and monitored adherence to the ceasefire to enable repairs to and the operation of critical civilian infrastructure on both sides of the contact line. Restrictions of the SMM’s access continued in all three disengagement areas. The SMM’s freedom of movement was also restricted near Novoazovsk and Hryhorivka, as well as at a checkpoint near Shevchenko and at a permanent storage site, all in non-government-controlled areas of Donetsk region...

VIENNA, 6 June 2019 – The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Harlem Désir, today raised serious concerns about media freedom in Poland following a verdict of the District Court in Poznań which sentenced journalist Anna Wilk on criminal defamation charges to a three-year ban on practicing journalism and a fine totalling more than 1,500 euros. Wilk works with the Tygodnik Gazeta Powiatowa, a local newspaper in the town of Wronki.

TBILISI, 6 June 2019 – Addressing a conference focused on parliamentary oversight today, OSCE Parliamentary Assembly President George Tsereteli (MP, Georgia) called for continued attention to uphold and strengthen OSCE parliaments’ roles in holding governments accountable.

International rule of law standards related to the right to a fair trial in criminal proceedings was the topic of a training seminar organized by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) together with Belarusian judicial institutions on 6 June 2019 in Minsk.

MINSK, 5 June 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 5 June 2019...

Compared with the previous reporting period, the SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and more in Luhansk region. The SMM saw a slightly injured man and damage from shelling at a mosque in non-government-controlled Donetsk city, as well as an injured man and damage from shelling to his house in non-government-controlled Uzhivka. The Mission saw fresh damage caused by small-arms-fire to an apartment building in non-government-controlled Dokuchaievsk. The SMM observed weapons in violation of withdrawal lines on both sides of the contact line. The Mission observed the presence of unexploded ordnance in government-controlled Novoluhanske. The Mission facilitated and monitored adherence to the ceasefire to enable repairs to and the operation of critical civilian infrastructure. Restrictions of the SMM’s access continued in all three disengagement areas and elsewhere...

Good planning is key to the efficient functioning of an election commission, which is why the OSCE Mission to Montenegro organized a three-day seminar for members of the State Election Commission (SEC) from 5 to 7 June 2019 in Podgorica on developing an election operational plan in preparation for the upcoming 2020 parliamentary elections...

Taking stock and identifying ways to make multilateral cooperation in the fight against torture more effective were the focus of the conference ‘Effective multilateralism in the fight against torture: Trends in the OSCE region and the way forward’ that took place on 5 June 2019 in Vienna.

A two-day consultation meeting between the OSCE and Moldovan authorities on how to set up an Advance Passenger Information (API) system to detect and thwart the movement of foreign terrorist fighters and improve national security in general was organized on 4 and 5 June 2019...

BELGRADE, 4 June 2019 – Visiting Serbia today as part of his commitment to visit all OSCE field missions, the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office Slovak Foreign and European Affairs Minister Miroslav Lajčák, together with First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Serbia Ivica Dačić and the Head of the OSCE Mission to Serbia, Andrea Orizio, opened the High-Level Discussion on Security Sector Governance and Reform (SSG/R) in South-Eastern Europe in Belgrade...

VIENNA, 4 June 2019 – About 180 diplomats, experts and civil society representatives gathered today at the United Nations Vienna headquarters today to discuss the OSCE’s contribution to the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Compared with the previous 24 hours, the SMM recorded more ceasefire violations in Donetsk and Luhansk regions. The Mission saw fresh damage from gunfire to an apartment in non-government-controlled Dokuchaievsk. The SMM saw weapons in violation of withdrawal lines near government-controlled Heivka and Ozarianivka. On the nights of 30 May and 2 June, an SMM long-range unmanned aerial vehicle spotted trucks traveling from an area near the border with the Russian Federation to non-government-controlled areas of Luhansk region. The Mission facilitated and monitored adherence to the ceasefire to enable repairs to and the operation of critical civilian infrastructure. In Kharkiv, the SMM saw that a monument to General Zhukov was toppled. Restrictions of the SMM’s access continued in all three disengagement areas and elsewhere. The Mission’s freedom of movement was also restricted at a non-government-controlled border crossing point near Dovzhanske...

VIENNA, 4 June 2019 – Reducing demand and supply in illicit drugs, curbing their trade via the Darknet, promoting international partnerships, engaging with young people and stepping up rehabilitation and reintegration measures are key to countering the evolving threat of illicit synthetic drugs, said participants of the two-day 2019 OSCE-wide conference that concluded today in Vienna...

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.

VIENNA, 4 June 2019 – Security is inextricably linked with development, the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly’s Nilza de Sena (MP, Portugal) said today at the OSCE’s Security Days event in Vienna. Parliamentarians must push for the full implementation of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), de Sena said, noting that the PA can play an important part in generating the needed political will.

BELGRADE, 4 June 2019 – Only an inclusive, accountable and democratically controlled security sector with full respect for human rights, gender equality and the rule of law can effectively provide security to a state and its citizens, said speakers at a high-level discussion in Belgrade today ahead of a two-day regional meeting organized by the Slovak OSCE Chairmanship and the OSCE Secretariat on security sector governance and reform (SSG/R)...