News and press releases

The SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations in Donetsk and Luhansk regions, compared with the previous reporting period. The Mission recorded ceasefire violations inside the Zolote disengagement area. It observed multiple launch rocket systems in violation of agreed withdrawal lines near Khrustalnyi, Miusynsk and Malynivka. The Mission’s access remained restricted in the disengagement areas, as well as again near Zaichenko and Novoazovsk, near the border with the Russian Federation.* The SMM continued to facilitate the process of restarting operations at the Donetsk Filtration Station, following a power outage. The SMM continued to monitor repairs and maintenance work to water infrastructure in Stanytsia Luhanska and Artema, and to facilitate demining and repairs at the Krasnohorivka gas distribution station between Marinka and Oleksandrivka and houses in Avdiivka. The SMM followed up on reports that protective masks had been distributed in southern Kherson region in response to hazardous chemical air pollution from a chemical plant on the Crimean peninsula.

VIENNA, 14 September 2018 – The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Harlem Désir, welcomed yesterday’s highly significant decision by the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR), which found that the United Kingdom’s Investigatory Powers Act threatened the confidentiality of journalists’ sources. The Representative previously warned of the potential threat to journalists posed by this law.

VIENNA, 14 September 2018- The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Harlem Désir, today sent a letter to the Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of Italy, Enzo Moavero Milanesi, to express his concerns about the seizure of a journalist’s phone and computer, as well as to recall the necessity to respect the protection of journalistic sources and to enquire whether the seizure respected national and international standards.

WARSAW, 13 September 2018 – More must be done to promote the participation of under-represented groups in political decision making if we are to ensure effective, truly democratic governance and societies, Ingibjörg Sólrún Gísladóttir, Director of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), said today, ahead of tomorrow’s International Day of Democracy.

The OSCE Mission to Montenegro donated a forensic workstation set and two polygraphs, €52.000 worth, to the Montenegrin Police Directorate within the Interior Ministry on 14 September 2018 in Podgorica...

The OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities, Lamberto Zannier, visited Ukraine from 11 to 14 September 2018, as a follow-up to his previous visits to Kyiv in December 2017 and the Zakarpattia region in February 2018. During the meetings with the Government and the Verkhovna Rada in Kyiv...

The very limited progress in implementing government strategies and policies for Roma inclusion remains a major obstacle to their inclusion, participants said at an event in Warsaw on 14 September 2018. The lack of progress is coupled with negative public and political discourse, persistent discrimination and growing manifestations of intolerance and racially motivated violence against Roma and Sinti in the OSCE area.

ERGNETI, 14 September 2018-- The 89th Incident Prevention and Response Mechanism (IPRM) meeting took place in Ergneti...

How educational policy and practice can address anti-Semitism was at the centre of discussions at an event held on 14 September 2018 on the margins of the OSCE's Human Dimension Implementation Meeting in Warsaw.

An OSCE-supported training seminar on corruption risks management in the public sector concluded on 14 September 2018 in Astana...

An OSCE-supported five-day training seminar on risk profiling techniques to ensure public safety at transportation facilities concluded on 14 September 2018 in Aktobe, Kazakhstan. The event was co-organized by the OSCE Programme Office in Astana and the Ministry of Internal Affairs...

Experts from the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) visited Vienna on 12 and 13 September 2018 to present ODIHR’s  final report on the 15 October 2017 early parliamentary elections in Austria. The report’s findings and recommendations were presented at an expert

Good practices for promoting tolerance and non-discrimination and the challenges that civil society may face in this work were the subject of an event held on 13 September 2018 by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) on the margins of the Human Dimension

The SMM recorded more ceasefire violations in Donetsk and Luhansk regions, compared with the previous reporting period. The Mission recorded ceasefire violations near the Zolote and Stanytsia Luhanska disengagement areas. It observed multiple launch rocket systems in violation of agreed withdrawal lines near Khrustalnyi. The Mission’s access remained restricted in the disengagement areas, as well as again near Verkhnoshyrokivske.* The SMM continued to facilitate the process of restarting operations at the Donetsk Filtration Station, following a power outage. The SMM continued to monitor repairs and maintenance work to water infrastructure in Stanytsia Luhanska and near Zolote, Artema and Krasnyi Lyman. In Kyiv, the SMM monitored a trial hearing of five former “Berkut” members accused of murder related to events at Maidan in 2014.

NICOSIA, 13 September 2018 – OSCE Acting Co-ordinator for Combating Trafficking in Human Beings Valiant Richey conducted an official visit to Cyprus this week, praised Cyprus for its progress in combating human trafficking and encouraged more multi-agency co-ordination...

Existing regional processes to control the trade of equipment that was designed or can be used for torture or other ill-treatment was the focus of an event organized by the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) and the Omega Research Foundation on 12 September 2018, during the

YEREVAN, 13 September 2018 – Concluding a two-day visit to Armenia, OSCE Parliamentary Assembly President George Tsereteli (MP, Georgia) welcomed the ongoing efforts to implement electoral reforms in the country, urging broad political consensus for any changes to the electoral system. He reiterated the OSCE and the Parliamentary Assembly’s commitment to supporting Armenia’s continued democratic development...

The 10th annual OSCE regional workshop on explosive hazards reduction and response in Central Asia concluded in Astana on 13 September 2018. This year, the event focused on the emerging threat posed by Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) and best practices in countering them...

Human rights-compliant approaches to addressing threats and challenges posed by “foreign terrorist fighters” are the focus of a new publication presented by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) at an event on 12 September 2018, during the annual Human Dimension

The SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and more in Luhansk region, compared with the previous reporting period. The Mission recorded ceasefire violations near the Zolote disengagement area. In the Petrivske disengagement area, the SMM spotted two soldiers and an infantry fighting vehicle of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. Its access remained restricted in the disengagement areas, near Leonove near the border with the Russian Federation, in an area of Luhansk region beyond government control, as well as, again, near Verkhnoshyrokivske and Zaichenko.* The Mission monitored electrical repairs near the Donetsk Filtration Station and continued to monitor repairs to water infrastructure in Stanytsia Luhanska. The SMM continued to monitor the situation south-east of Kherson following reports of hazardous air pollution.

The final report on Slovenia’s 3 June 2018 parliamentary elections issued by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) on 12 September 2018 concludes that the elections were administered in a professional and efficient manner, with a high level of confidence among

WARSAW, 12 September 2018 – The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Harlem Désir, said that today’s decision of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation to uphold the sentencing of Ukrainian journalist Roman Sushchenko is deeply disappointing...

WARSAW, 12 September 2018- The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Harlem Désir, today strongly condemned the arrest of Austrian journalist Max Zirngast and the continued prosecution of journalists in Turkey.

TASHKENT, 12 September 2018 – OSCE Parliamentary Assembly Vice-President Azay Guliyev (Azerbaijan) is in Tashkent where he spoke today at the seminar on the “Role of Parliaments in engaging Afghanistan into Central Asian Cooperation Frameworks through Preventive Diplomacy” by the UN Regional Centre for Preventive Diplomacy for Central Asia...

The SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and more in Luhansk region compared with the previous 24 hours. The SMM recorded ceasefire violations inside the Petrivske and Stanytsia Luhanska disengagement areas, and noted that trenches in the Petrivske disengagement area had been recently extended. The Mission’s access remained restricted in the disengagement areas as well as, again, near Verkhnoshyrokivske, and near Izvaryne on the border with the Russian Federation.* The SMM continued to monitor repairs to water infrastructure in Stanytsia Luhanska and Pervomaisk.

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.

The Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) held a presentation on its use of digital pen technology in observing elections at an event on 11 September 2018, during the annual OSCE Human Dimension Implementation Meeting in Warsaw. The event, held within the context of ODIHR’s

The OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) and Penal Reform International (PRI) presented their new publication on implementing the revised United Nations rules for the treatment of prisoners at an event in Warsaw on 11 September 2018. The presentation took place on the

The SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and more in Luhansk region between the evenings of 7 and 8 September, compared with the previous reporting period. Between the evenings of 8 and 9 September, the Mission recorded more ceasefire violations in Donetsk and fewer in Luhansk region, compared with the previous 24 hours. The SMM followed up on reports of fresh damage caused by gunfire in a residential area of Maiorsk. The Mission observed that the entry-exit checkpoint near Stanytsia Luhanska re-opened following construction and repair works and civilians have resumed crossing. The SMM saw multiple launch rocket systems in violation of withdrawal lines near Khrustalnyi. It saw, for the first time, a mine and a hand grenade near Verkhnoshyrokivske. The SMM recorded ceasefire violations inside and near the Zolote disengagement area and near the Stanytsia Luhanska disengagement area. The Mission’s access remained restricted in the disengagement areas as well as near Verkhnoshyrokivske, Yuzhna-Lomuvatka and Khrustalnyi.* The Mission continued to monitor the situation around the Donetsk Filtration Station, which has been non-operational since 6 September due to a power outage. In Lviv, the SMM monitored a public gathering outside the regional court of appeals. The SMM continued to follow up on reports of hazardous air pollution south-east of Kherson that had reportedly originated from a nearby chemical plant.

WARSAW, 10 September 2018 – The need to address today’s security challenges means the defence and promotion of human rights are more important than ever, speakers said today at the opening of the OSCE Human Dimension Implementation Meeting in Warsaw.

TIRASPOL, 10 September 2018- The Special Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office for the Transdniestrian Settlement Process, Franco Frattini, handed over the first Moldovan neutral-design licence plates to first applicants at a Vehicle Registration Office (VRO) in Tiraspol today. Frattini is visiting Moldova on 9 and 10 September to mark a new milestone achieved by the Sides in the Transdniestrian Settlement Process...

The SMM recorded more ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and fewer in Luhansk region, compared with the previous reporting period. The Mission saw multiple launch rocket systems in violation of withdrawal lines. The Mission recorded ceasefire violations inside the Zolote disengagement area and near the Stanytsia Luhanska disengagement area. The SMM’s access remained restricted in all three disengagement areas, and again near Zaichenko and Novoazovsk.* The Mission continued to monitor the situation at the closed entry-exit checkpoint near Stanytsia Luhanska where it saw that construction and repair works were ongoing. The SMM continued to facilitate the operation of the Donetsk Filtration Station. It also facilitated and monitored adherence to the ceasefire to enable repairs to water infrastructure near Pervomaisk and Krasnyi Lyman.

The SMM recorded more ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and fewer in Luhansk region, compared with the previous reporting period. An SMM long-range unmanned aerial vehicle spotted at least five burned down houses in Zaitseve. The Mission recorded a ceasefire violation inside the Stanytsia Luhanska disengagement area and ceasefire violations near the Zolote disengagement area. It saw fortification works to a new military position of the Ukrainian Armed Forces inside the Zolote disengagement area. The SMM’s access remained restricted in all three disengagement areas, at a permanent storage site in a non-government-controlled area of Donetsk region and again in Verkhnoshyrokivske.* The Mission continued to monitor the situation at the closed entry-exit checkpoint near Stanytsia Luhanska where it saw that construction works were ongoing. The SMM continued to facilitate the operation of the Donetsk Filtration Station. It also facilitated and monitored adherence to the ceasefire to enable repairs to water infrastructure near Zolote. In Kyiv, the SMM monitored two public gatherings in front of the Parliament building. The Mission also followed up on reports of hazardous chemical air pollution in southern areas of Kherson region.

The OSCE Presence in Albania, in co-operation with the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung Office in Albania, launched a call on 7 September 2018 for researchers to undertake research projects on transitional justice in Albania.

The OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina and the European Institute for Gender Equality organized a two-day regional meeting in Sarajevo on the importance of data collection on violence against women in the Western Balkan region...

CHISINAU, 7 September 2018 – The Italian OSCE Chairmanship has appointed Claus Neukirch of Germany as the Head of the OSCE Mission to Moldova. He will also serve as the OSCE mediator in the Transdniestrian Settlement Process.

The SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and more ceasefire violations in Luhansk region, compared with the previous reporting period. It followed up on reports of a civilian casualty as a result of an explosion of a heavy-machine-gun round in Shchastia. The Mission recorded ceasefire violations inside the Zolote disengagement area and new military positions inside the Petrivske disengagement area. The SMM’s access remained restricted in all three disengagement areas as well as at a heavy weapons holding area in a non-government-controlled area of Donetsk region and in Verkhnoshyrokivske.* It observed weapons in violation of withdrawal lines including in Buhaivka, Miusynsk and Khrustalnyi. The Mission’s long-range unmanned aerial vehicle spotted a convoy of trucks on a dirt road near the border with the Russian Federation where there are no border crossing facilities in a non-government-controlled area of Donetsk region, in the middle of the night. It continued to monitor the situation at the closed entry-exit checkpoint near Stanytsia Luhanska where it observed construction works and road repairs. The Mission continued to facilitate the operation of the Donetsk Filtration Station. The SMM also facilitated and monitored adherence to the ceasefire to enable repairs to water infrastructure near Zolote, Pervomaisk and Krasnyi Lyman.

An OSCE-supported roundtable discussion on print media sustainability was held from 4 to 5 September in Popova Shapka, Tetovo...

At 10:10 on 5 September, an SMM patrol consisting of six members and two armoured vehicles was positioned at a checkpoint of the Ukrainian Armed Forces on road T1316, approximately 400m from the northern edge of the Zolote disengagement area. Two patrol members were standing next to the vehicles and the others were inside the vehicles with the doors open when they heard seven explosions 150-200m south-south-east. The SMM assessed four of the explosions as outgoing mortar rounds (type undetermined) and the remaining as outgoing rounds of undetermined weapons. The SMM immediately left the area.

MINSK, 5 September 2018 – 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 September 2018:

The SMM recorded more ceasefire violations in Donetsk and Luhansk regions, compared with the previous reporting period. The Mission recorded ceasefire violations near the Petrivske disengagement area. The SMM’s access remained restricted in all three disengagement areas.* It continued to monitor the situation at the closed entry-exit checkpoint near Stanytsia Luhanska where it observed construction works. The Mission continued to facilitate the operation of the Donetsk Filtration Station. The SMM also facilitated and monitored adherence to the ceasefire to enable repairs to water infrastructure near Pervomaisk and Krasnyi Lyman.

PRAGUE, 5 September 2018- Harnessing the opportunities of the digital transition while curbing its negative security implications through human capital development, is the focus of this year’s OSCE Economic and Environmental Forum which opened today in Prague...

VIENNA, 5 September 2018 – OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Harlem Désir today expressed his concern about a court decision in Kyiv ordering the disclosure of mobile-phone data of a Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) investigative reporter and the host of its Schemes programme, Natalia Sedletska.

Five alumni of the Central Asian Youth Network (CAYN) met with OSCE Secretary General Thomas Greminger in Vienna on 5 September 2018. They discussed security issues in Central Asia, the OSCE’s work and its comprehensive and co-operative approach to security...

VIENNA, 5 September 2018 – Transparency and openness will be the main theme of Sweden’s Chairmanship of the OSCE Forum for Security C-operation (FSC), said the State Secretary to the Swedish Minister of Defence, Jan Salestrand.

The SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations in Donetsk and Luhansk regions, compared with the previous 24 hours. Following the explosion on Pushkina Boulevard in Donetsk city on 31 August, the Mission continued to observe a calm situation in the city centre. The Mission recorded ceasefire violations near the Stanytsia Luhanska disengagement area. The SMM’s access remained restricted in the Stanytsia Luhanska disengagement area as well as near Topolyne and Pryvilne.* The Mission observed weapons in violation of the withdrawal lines near Kremenivka. It continued to monitor the situation at the closed entry-exit checkpoint near Stanytsia Luhanska and to facilitate the operation of the Donetsk Filtration Station. The SMM’s observations remained limited due to security considerations.

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.

VIENNA, 4 September 2018- OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Harlem Désir today condemned continued targeted attacks by extremists against journalists covering protests in Chemnitz, Germany. The condemnation follows the latest attacks during an anti-migrant demonstration on 1 September.

A three-day training course on juvenile justice aimed at raising awareness about the rights of children in contact with the criminal justice system concluded on 31 August 2018 in Romit, Tajikistan (40 km north-east of Dushanbe). The course was organized by the OSCE Programme Office in Dushanbe...

The Sixth Annual Anti-Terrorism Expert Meeting organized by the OSCE Programme Office in Bishkek in close co-operation with the Secretariat’s Action against Terrorism Unit and with the direct support of the Kyrgyz State Committee on National Security’s Anti-Terrorist Centre took place from 3 to 4 September 2018 in Issyk-Kul...