News and press releases

A two-day training course on legal drafting and review of indictments, appeals and other motions in war crimes cases, organized by the OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) and the Judicial and Prosecutorial Training Centre of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, concluded on 10 March in Sarajevo...

The SMM recorded more ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and fewer in Luhansk region compared with the previous reporting period. Most of the explosions were recorded around Svitlodarsk and Horlivka. The Mission corroborated reports of civilian casualties in Pikuzy and Avdiivka. It observed damage to homes on both sides of the contact line in Luhanske, Verkhnotoretske, Pikuzy, Donetskyi and Yasynuvata (where it also observed tracks consistent with a tank). It continued to monitor the disengagement areas but its access remained restricted.* The SMM observed weapons in violation of the withdrawal lines on both sides of the contact line. On two separate occasions, interlocutors dealing with public matters in areas not controlled by the Government refused to speak with the SMM, citing the need for written permission from senior “LPR” members. In Lviv region a local city council member spoke with the SMM about work to conserve historical Jewish sites.

PRISHTINË/PRIŠTINA, 10 March 2017 – OSCE Secretary General Lamberto Zannier concluded today a trip to Prishtinë/Priština, where he visited the OSCE Mission in Kosovo and met heads of Kosovo institutions and representatives of political parties, communities, religious groups, civil society and the international community.

The SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations in both Donetsk and Luhansk regions compared with the previous reporting period. The Mission observed damage to homes and infrastructure caused by shelling in residential areas of Dokuchaievsk and Pikuzy. It continued monitoring the disengagement areas in Stanytsia Luhanska, Petrivske and Zolote, but its access remained restricted.* The SMM recorded ceasefire violations in the Zolote disengagement area. The Mission, in co-ordination with the Joint Centre for Control and Co-ordination (JCCC), facilitated demining activities and repair works in areas of the Donetsk Water Filtration Station. It continued to monitor the blockade of routes crossing the contact line at four locations in government-controlled areas. The SMM visited two border areas currently not under the government’s control. The Mission observed initiatives related to the International Women's Day...

SKOPJE, 9 March 2017 – OSCE Secretary General Lamberto Zannier expressed concern about the latest developments in the country as he concluded his visit today, calling on political leaders to put an end to the protracted political crisis in the interest of all citizens...

VIENNA, 9 March 2017 – OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Dunja Mijatović reflected on her seven years in office today while presenting her final report to the OSCE Permanent Council...

COPENHAGEN, 8 March 2017 – Spanish parliamentarian Ignacio Sanchez Amor, Chair of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly’s human rights committee, today called for the release of Azerbaijani journalist Mehman Huseynov, who last week was sentenced by a Baku court to two years in prison for defaming the police chief of the city’s Nasimi district...