News and press releases

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 almost remained the same at both BCPs compared to the previous week. A Russian convoy of 28 vehicles crossed to Ukraine and returned to the Russian Federation...

The SMM recorded more ceasefire violations in both Donetsk and Luhansk regions compared with the previous 24 hours. The SMM continued monitoring the disengagement areas and recorded ceasefire violations in the vicinity of the Stanytsia Luhanska disengagement area and it saw a grenade fixed to a fence in a passageway used by pedestrians on the south side of the bridge. Its access remains restricted in the disengagement areas and elsewhere, including again in Verkhnoshyrokivske and to a heavy weapons holding area not under government control. An SMM unmanned aerial vehicle spotted weapons in violation of withdrawal lines near Oleksandropil and Zelene Pole. The SMM continued to facilitate and monitor repairs and maintenance to infrastructure in Zolote and Krasnyi Lyman. The Mission visited three border areas not under government control...

To improve the efficiency of the local administration and its services to Serbian citizens, some 1180 employees of 136 local self-government units from across Serbia completed an OSCE Mission-supported online course on the implementation of the new Law on General Administrative Procedure. The ceremony of awarding certificates took place on 29 August 2017 in Belgrade...

The last in a series of three OSCE-supported training seminars on monitoring of children's institutions for participants of National Preventive Mechanism for Preventing Torture and Ill-treatment (NPM) concluded on 29 August 2017 in Kyzylorda, Kazakhstan...

The OSCE’s Programme Office in Dushanbe opened a three-day training seminar on the rights of persons arrested and detained by law enforcement agencies on 29 August 2017 in Dushanbe...

The SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations in both Donetsk and Luhansk regions between the evenings of 25 and 26 August compared with the previous reporting period. Between the evenings of 26 and 27 August, it recorded a similar number of ceasefire violations in Donetsk region, but fewer in Luhansk region compared with the previous 24 hours. The Mission followed up on reports of a civilian casualty from Petrovskyi district of Donetsk city. The SMM saw damage to civilian properties caused by shelling in Lukove and assessed impact sites there and in Shyrokyne. The SMM continued monitoring the disengagement areas; its access remains restricted there and elsewhere, including again at a non-government-controlled checkpoint in Verkhnoshyrokivske and to a Ukrainian Armed Forces heavy weapons holding area. The Mission observed weapons in violation of withdrawal lines on both sides of the contact line. The Mission continued to observe the presence of mine hazard signs along the Berdianske seashore near a group of people. The SMM visited one border area not under government control in Luhansk region...

VIENNA, 28 August 2017 – United States (US) President Donald Trump’s recent remarks on media are cause for deep concern, the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Harlem Désir stated in a letter to Secretary of State H.E. Rex W. Tillerson...