News and press releases

VIENNA, 20 February 2019- Bertie Ahern, former Taoiseach (Prime Minister) of Ireland, reflected on his experience in achieving peace in Northern Ireland through “inclusive dialogue” and highlight the conditions that made progress in the peace process possible during a joint meeting of the OSCE Forum for Security Co-operation and the Permanent Council in Vienna today on “Lessons learned from conflict resolution”...

Some 70 representatives of national institutions of Ukraine and eight other OSCE participating States- the Czech Republic, France, Germany, Italy, Lithuania, Poland, Sweden and Turkey – completed a two-day workshop in Kyiv on 20 February 2019 focusing on holistic approaches to countering trafficking in human beings for the purpose of labour exploitation...

Compared with the previous reporting period, the SMM recorded more ceasefire violations in both Donetsk and Luhansk regions. The SMM recovered the wreckage of its long-range unmanned aerial vehicle near Krynychanske. It followed up on reports of a woman injured by a bullet in Dokuchaievsk and saw fresh damage to an apartment building in Yasynuvata. The Mission recorded ceasefire violations near the Zolote and Stanytsia Luhanska disengagement areas. It facilitated and monitored adherence to the ceasefire to enable inspection and repair works to essential civilian infrastructure in Donetsk and Luhansk regions. Restrictions of the Mission’s access continued in all three disengagement areas, as well as at checkpoints in Betmanove and near Verkhnoshyrokivske and Novoazovsk...

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, 20 February 2019 – Following the court decision in Kyiv ordering the disclosure of documents of the news portal Novoe Vremya, including the correspondence of one of its journalists, the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Harlem Désir, today reiterated his call on the Ukrainian authorities to respect the right of journalists to protect the confidentiality of their sources.

VIENNA, 20 February 2019 – Following the recent introduction in Azerbaijan of tighter requirements for print media eligible for state funding, the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Harlem Désir, today called on the authorities to focus efforts on developing a favourable media environment...

MOSCOW, 19 February 2019 – On an official visit as OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Minister for Foreign and European Affairs of Slovakia, Miroslav Lajčák today met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov to discuss various issues on the OSCE agenda...

VIENNA, 19 February 2019- The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Harlem Désir today commended the arrest of nine persons in Montenegro who the police say are part of a criminal gang that is responsible for a series of crimes including the attack on journalist Olivera Lakić on 8 May last year...

• Compared with the previous 24 hours, the SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations in both Donetsk and Luhansk regions. • The SMM lost a long-range unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) in non-government-controlled areas of Luhansk region. • The SMM heard explosions and saw two craters caused by the detonation of explosive devices near its residence in Donetsk city. • It saw small-arms fire damage to an apartment building in Dokuchaievsk and to a former kindergarten in Zolote-5/Mykhailivka. • The Mission saw military hardware inside the Zolote disengagement area; an SMM UAV also spotted probable anti-tank mines laid across the road inside the area. • It facilitated and monitored adherence to the ceasefire to enable repair works to essential civilian infrastructure on both sides of the contact line in Donetsk and Luhansk regions. • Restrictions of the Mission’s access continued in all three disengagement areas and elsewhere. It was also restricted at a checkpoint near Verkhnoshyrokivske and at a compound near Donske.* • A gathering in Kyiv commemorated those who lost their lives during Maidan-related events in 2014...

VIENNA, 19 February 2019 – Yesterday’s decision to uphold convictions and severe sentences handed down to dozens of Cumhuriyet journalists is a terrible setback and detrimental to Turkey’s commitments to free speech and independent media, OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Harlem Désir said today...

On 18 February 2019 in Podgorica, the OSCE Mission to Montenegro handed over to the State Election Commission software developed to process electoral data along with IT equipment. This marks the completion of a two year project, providing technical assistance to the State Election Commission (SEC)...

Between 13:27 and 13:38 hrs, 18 February, an SMM long-range unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) experienced dual GPS jamming while flying at an altitude of approximately 6,000ft in an area near Donetskyi (non-government-controlled, 49km west of Luhansk), in proximity of the contact line...

Compared with the previous reporting period, between the evenings of 15 and 16 February, the SMM recorded more ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and fewer in Luhansk regions. Compared with the previous 24 hours, between the evenings of 16 and 17 February, the SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and more in Luhansk region. The SMM saw gunfire damage to residential properties in Yasynuvata and a destroyed house in Novoluhanske. It saw weapons in violation of withdrawal lines in government-controlled areas of Luhansk region. The Mission recorded ceasefire violations inside and near the Zolote disengagement area, and military hardware and personnel inside the Petrivske disengagement area. It heard small-arms fire assessed as aimed at an SMM mini-unmanned aerial vehicle near non-government-controlled Zhovte, Luhansk region. The SMM saw an aircraft flying over non-government-controlled areas in the security zone. It facilitated and monitored adherence to the ceasefire to enable repair works to essential civilian infrastructure. Restrictions of the Mission’s access continued in all three disengagement areas. It was also restricted near Zaichenko and near Izvaryne, an area close to the border with the Russian Federation. The Mission continued to observe hardship faced by civilians at checkpoints. The SMM observed a public gathering against parishes of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church changing affiliation in Storozhynets, Chernivtsi region. It observed public gatherings in Kyiv, including commemorations of recent events in eastern Ukraine...

At about 08:00 on the morning of 18 February in non-government-controlled Donetsk city, while standing in front of the Mission’s residence on Pushkina Boulevard, two SMM staff members heard at least two explosions approximately 100-150 metres south-south-east. Other SMM personnel were in the residence. Nobody was injured...

MUNICH, Germany, 17 February 2019 – At the Munich Security Conference, OSCE Chairperson-in-Office and Minister for Foreign and European Affairs of Slovakia Miroslav Lajčák and OSCE Secretary General Thomas Greminger, both stressed that no single country can tackle today’s security challenges alone. Dialogue, co-operation and multilateralism are the only way to a safer future they reiterated, a message shared by many participants of this leading global gathering that focuses on security policy as well as current and future security challenges.

BRUSSELS, 17 February 2019 – OSCE Chairperson-in-Office and Minister for Foreign and European Affairs of Slovakia Miroslav Lajčák met today with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin ahead of tomorrow’s discussion on Ukraine at the EU Foreign Affairs Council.

Compared with the previous reporting period, the SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and more in Luhansk region. The SMM observed damage in Kruta Hora and Pikuzy as a result of shelling. The Mission saw weapons in violation of the withdrawal lines near non-government-controlled Khoroshe, Lobacheve and Pervomaisk. The Mission recorded ceasefire violations inside and near the Zolote disengagement area. It observed damage as a result of shelling in residential areas near the Zolote disengagement area. Members of the armed formations fired 10m away from an SMM patrol at an SMM UAV flying over the Zolote disengagement area. The SMM facilitated and monitored adherence to the ceasefire to enable the operation of essential civilian infrastructure in Donetsk region. Restrictions of the SMM’s access continued in all three disengagement areas and again near non-government-controlled Novoazovsk, Oleksandrivske and Verkhnoshyrokivske.

VIENNA/SARAJEVO, 15 February 2019 – The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Harlem Désir, and the Head of the OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bruce G. Berton, today condemned several threats made against journalists in Bosnia and Herzegovina...

VIENNA, 15 February 2019 – At today’s second meeting of the Informal Working Group on Scales of Contributions of the OSCE, Special Representative of the Chairmanship Slovak State Secretary Lukáš Parízek, who chairs the Group, urged all participating States to focus above all else on management and finances of the OSCE...

• Compared with the previous reporting period, the SMM recorded more ceasefire violations in Donetsk and Luhansk regions. • The Mission saw weapons in violation of the withdrawal lines near government-controlled Krasnohorivka and Kapitanove. • The Mission recorded a ceasefire violation near the Zolote disengagement area. • The SMM facilitated and monitored adherence to the ceasefire to enable repair works to and operation of essential civilian infrastructure in Donetsk and Luhansk regions. • Restrictions of the SMM’s access continued in all three disengagement areas and again near non-government-controlled Verkhnoshyrokivske and Zaichenko...

Protecting and promoting human rights while policing assemblies, as well as police accountability, were the focus of a three-day training course organized by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) from 13 to 15 February 2019 in Yerevan. The training event brought

• Compared with the previous reporting period, the SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and more in Luhansk region. • The Mission followed up on reports of a man who died at a checkpoint in Kreminets. • An SMM unmanned aerial vehicle spotted recent impact craters in non-government-controlled Sokilnyky and government-controlled Travneve. • The Mission saw weapons in violation of the withdrawal lines in Khrustalnyi and near Sofiivka and Molodizhne. • The SMM facilitated and monitored adherence to the ceasefire to enable repair works to and the operation of essential civilian infrastructure in Donetsk and Luhansk regions. • The Mission followed up on reports of graffiti on a church in Zaporizhzhia. • Restrictions of the SMM’s access continued in all three disengagement areas and near Zaichenko.*

VIENNA, 14 February 2019 – The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Harlem Désir, today expressed his serious concern regarding the amendments to the Russian federal laws on Communication and on Information, Information Technologies and Protection of Information, which were adopted by the State Duma, in the first reading on 12 February...

Parliamentary openness and the improvement of the parliament’s interaction with civil society through the legislative process were the focus of an OSCE-supported international conference held in Astana on 14 February 2019.

MINSK, 14 February 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 13 February 2019:...

• Compared with the previous reporting period, the SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and more in Luhansk region. • The Mission observed craters assessed as caused by mortar rounds in residential areas in Pervomaisk and fresh craters inside the Zolote disengagement area. • The Mission saw weapons in violation on both sides of the contact line. • It facilitated and monitored adherence to the ceasefire to enable repair works to essential civilian infrastructure in Donetsk and Luhansk regions. • Restrictions of the Mission’s access continued in all three disengagement areas.*

Forty policymakers, technical officers and private sector representatives from ten OSCE participating States and Mediterranean Partners for Co-operation completed a two-day sub-regional training course in Athens on how international cyber/ICT security mechanisms can enhance regional cyber stability...

Strengthening security sector governance was the focus of an event jointly organized by the OSCE’s Conflict Prevention Centre and Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) in co-operation with the Armenian Ministry of Foreign Affairs on 13 February 2019 in Yerevan...

States need comprehensive and concrete policy advice on how to use media as a powerful tool for conflict prevention and social integration, said OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities Lamberto Zannier as he presented The Tallinn Guidelines on National Minorities and the Media in the Digital Age in the Estonian capital on 13 February 2019...

The final report by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) on the 6 November 2018 mid-term congressional elections in United States recommends that representation rights be provided for citizens resident in the District of Columbia and United States overseas territories.

COPENHAGEN, 13 February 2019 – Some 45 observers from the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly will deploy to Moldova for the 24 February parliamentary elections...

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...

Compared with the previous 24 hours, the SMM recorded more ceasefire violations in Donetsk and Luhansk regions. A man reportedly died of natural causes while waiting at a checkpoint of the armed formations near Horlivka to travel to government-controlled areas. The Mission observed gunfire damage at a school in Zolote-5/Mykhailivka and inhabited houses in Pervomaisk, as well as fresh impact craters in Slovianoserbsk. The Mission recorded ceasefire violations inside and near the Zolote disengagement area and near the Petrivske disengagement area. It facilitated and monitored adherence to the ceasefire to enable repair works to essential civilian infrastructure in Donetsk and Luhansk regions. Restrictions of the Mission’s access continued in all three disengagement areas. Its access was also denied in Dovzhanske, close to the border with the Russian Federation, as well as at a heavy weapons holding area in a government-controlled area of Luhansk region.

KYIV, 12 February 2019 – The Special Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office in Ukraine and in Trilateral Contact Group, Ambassador Martin Sajdik, issued today the following statement...

VIENNA, 12 February 2019 – The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Harlem Désir, together with the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, Dunja Mijatović, today opened the Safety of Female Journalists Online (#SOFJO) conference, Increasing Opportunities for Freedom of Expression and Media Plurality.

TBILISI, 11 February 2019 – Concluding his two-day visit to Georgia today, OSCE Chairperson-in-Office Slovak Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Miroslav Lajčák, stressed that stronger co-operation with Georgia, and a continued full commitment to the Geneva International Discussions and the Incident Prevention and Response Mechanism are high on Slovakia’s agenda as 2019 OSCE Chair...

• Compared with the previous reporting period, between the evenings of 8 and 9 February, the SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations in Donetsk and Luhansk regions. • Compared with the previous 24 hours, between the evenings of 9 and 10 February, the SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations in Donetsk and Luhansk regions. • In Kadiivka, the Mission saw gunfire damage to a truck that was reportedly collecting coal as part of humanitarian aid. • The SMM saw fresh mortar impact craters near residential houses in Kriakivka and near the checkpoint of the armed formations on the southern edge of the disengagement area near Zolote. • The Mission recorded ceasefire violations inside and near the Zolote disengagement area. • It facilitated and monitored adherence to the ceasefire to enable repair works to essential civilian infrastructure in Donetsk and Luhansk regions. • Restrictions of the Mission’s access continued in all three disengagement areas. It was also restricted in Khlibodarivka, near Verkhnoshyrokivske, near Izvaryne and Novoazovsk, close to the border with the Russian Federation, as well as at a permanent storage site in a non-government-controlled area of Donetsk region. • The Mission learned of a reported temporary school closure due to shelling in Zolote-5/Mykhailivka.

VIENNA, 11 February 2019 – The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Harlem Désir, today called for criminal charges of supporting terrorism against journalist Svetlana Prokopyeva to be dropped, and raised concern about decisions by a Russian court to fine two media outlets in relation to this case. Prokopyeva is a journalist with Radio Ekho Moskvy (Echo of Moscow) and a contributor to various other media, including Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty’s Russian Service...

Compared with the previous reporting period, the SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and more in Luhansk region. The SMM followed up on reports of a man who died while at a checkpoint in Kreminets. The SMM followed up on reports of damage to a truck transporting coal on behalf of an international organization. It recorded ceasefire violations inside and near the Zolote disengagement area and a ceasefire violation inside the Stanytsia Luhanska disengagement area. The Mission saw weapons in violation of the withdrawal lines in government-controlled areas in Donetsk region. It facilitated and monitored adherence to the ceasefire to enable repair works and demining activities to essential civilian infrastructure in Luhansk and Donetsk regions. Restrictions of the SMM’s access continued in all three disengagement areas and in non-government-controlled Verkhnoshyrokivske, Staromykhailivka and Horlivka.* The Mission monitored a public gathering in front of the Consulate General of the Russian Federation in Kharkiv. It followed up on reports of graffiti on a church in Zaporizhzhia.

Bratislava, 8 February 2019 – OSCE Chairperson-in-Office and Slovak Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Miroslav Lajčák, today called the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Pavlo Klimkin to discuss the upcoming 31 March 2019 presidential election in Ukraine. Among various issues addressed by the ministers was the support of OSCE’s Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) in observing the upcoming election, provided in response to an official invitation from Ukraine.

Ergneti, 8 February 2019- The 91st Incident Prevention and Response Mechanism (IPRM) meeting was held today in Ergneti. Mr. Erik Høeg, Head of the European Union Monitoring Mission in Georgia (EUMM), and Ambassador Rudolf Michalka, Special Representative for the South Caucasus of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, co-facilitated the meeting, held in a constructive manner.

VIENNA, 8 February 2019 – The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Harlem Désir, today welcomed a court decision in Northern Ireland recognizing journalists’ rights to protect the confidentiality of their sources...

• Compared with the previous reporting period, the SMM recorded more ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and fewer in Luhansk region. • The SMM observed recent impact craters in Pikuzy and Molodizhne. • It facilitated and monitored adherence to the ceasefire to enable repair works to essential civilian infrastructure in Donetsk region. • The Mission facilitated and monitored the transfer of persons convicted before the conflict from non-government-controlled to government-controlled areas in Luhansk region. • Restrictions of the SMM’s access continued in all three disengagement areas as well as in Novoazovsk, an area near the border with the Russian Federation.* • The SMM monitored a public gathering in Hlyboka district, Chernivtsi region, in relation to churches changing affiliation in the district.

VIENNA, 8 February 2019 – The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Harlem Désir, today expressed his concern regarding the recent decision of the Supervisory Board of the public service company UA:PBC in Ukraine to dismiss Zurab Alasania from the chairmanship post at the organization...

Exploring new opportunities and sharing best practices in the fight against anti-Semitism was the focus of the first conference organized by Slovakia as 2019 OSCE Chair, which concluded on 7 February 2019 in Bratislava.

Warsaw, 7 February 2019 – Ingibjörg Sólrún Gísladóttir, Director of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), today expressed her regret over the decision by the Ukrainian authorities to block Russian citizens from taking part in the ODIHR election observation mission for the 31 March presidential election in Ukraine.

Compared with the previous reporting period, the SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations in Donetsk and Luhansk regions. The Mission followed up on reports of a van hit by small-arms fire in Chermalyk. The SMM observed weapons in violation of the withdrawal lines in non-government-controlled areas of Donetsk and Luhansk regions. It facilitated and monitored adherence to the ceasefire to enable possible demining activities in Luhansk region and repair works to essential civilian infrastructure in Donetsk and Luhansk regions. The SMM monitored a public gathering in Kyiv related to funding for housing for internally displaced persons. The Mission followed up on reports of an attack against a civil activist in Kropyvnytskyi, Kirovohrad region. Restrictions of the SMM’s access continued in all three disengagement areas as well as near Zaichenko, Yasynuvata and Verkhnoshyrokivske.*

A two-day annual meeting of the Civil Society Coalition against Torture and Impunity in Tajikistan, hosted by the OSCE Programme Office in Dushanbe, was held on 1 and 2 February 2019 in Dushanbe...

Enhancing the electoral participation of persons with disabilities was the focus of discussion during a conference co-organized in Skopje by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) and the OSCE Mission to Skopje on 6 February 2019.

VIENNA, 6 February – The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Harlem Désir, today raised his concerns over the amendments to the Press Act establishing a right of reply for physical and legal persons, which passed the first reading in the parliament of Slovakia last week.