News and press releases

An OSCE-supported summer school session for law students and young researchers, focusing on the relationship between human rights and business, concluded on 17 August 2018 in Astana.

The OSCE Programme Office in Dushanbe donated technical equipment to the press centre of Tajikistan’s Committee of Emergency Situations and Civil Defence at a handover ceremony on 17 August 2018 in Dushanbe. The equipment will be used for broadcasting from locations where disasters occur, thus contributing to capacity building of journalists reporting on disasters, increasing the quality of coverage and preventing the spreading of inaccurate information.

On the morning of 16 August, an SMM patrol consisting of five SMM members and two armoured vehicles was positioned on the north-eastern edge of Holmivskyi (non-government-controlled, 49km north-east of Donetsk).

The SMM recorded more ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and fewer in Luhansk region, compared with the previous reporting period. Small-arms fire was assessed as directed at an SMM unmanned aerial vehicle near Berezivske. The SMM observed military positions and a recently extended trench inside the Petrivske disengagement area. Its access remained restricted in all three disengagement areas, near Starolaspa and Zolote-2/Karbonit, and again near Zaichenko. The SMM observed a weapon in violation of withdrawal lines near Sopyne. The Mission continued to facilitate the operation of the Donetsk Filtration Station, as well as repairs and maintenance works to critical water infrastructure in Luhansk region.

PODGORICA, 16 August 2018 – Wrapping up his first visit to the region as the OSCE PA’s Special Representative on South East Europe today, Mark Pritchard (United Kingdom) underlined the Assembly’s continued commitment to engagement on democracy, the integrity of electoral processes, rule of law, stability and security, human rights, and media freedom. In Albania, he urged speedy completion of justice reform to ensure functioning judicial safeguards and called attention to the rise of nationalist forces in the region.

On 14- 16 August 2018, the OSCE Mobile Training Team delivered an interactive course on identifying foreign terrorist fighters for officers of Turkmenistan’s border and migration services in Ashgabat. The deployment of the Training Team was organized by the Border Security and Management Unit of the OSCE Transnational Threats Department, with the support of the OSCE Centre in Ashgabat and in close co-operation with the host country.

The SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations in Donetsk and Luhansk regions, compared with the previous reporting period. The SMM followed up on reports of an injured girl in Katerynivka. The SMM’s access remained restricted in all three disengagement areas, in Oleksandrivske and again near Zaichenko, Bezimenne, and Novoazovsk, near the border with the Russian Federation.* The SMM observed weapons in violation of withdrawal lines on both sides of the contact line. The Mission continued to facilitate the operation of the Donetsk Filtration Station, as well as repairs and maintenance works to critical water infrastructure near Artema, Obozne, Novotoshkivske and Zolote-5/Mykhailivka, as well as near Stanytsia Luhanska.

CHISINAU, 15 August 2018 – The OSCE Mission to Moldova expresses its concern regarding the river-crossing military exercise conducted in the Security Zone by the Operational Group of Russian Forces on 14 and 15 August.

The SMM recorded more ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and a sharp increase in Luhansk region, compared with the previous reporting period. A member of the armed formations pointed his rifle at an SMM patrol near Smile. The SMM assessed that small-arms fire was directed at its unmanned aerial vehicle near Holubivske. The SMM observed damage caused by shelling near residential areas of Donetskyi. The SMM’s access remained restricted in all three disengagement areas and again near Zaichenko, Bezimenne and Voznesenivka, near the border with the Russian Federation.* The SMM observed weapons in violation of withdrawal lines on both sides of the contact line. The Mission continued to facilitate the operation of the Donetsk Filtration Station, as well as repairs and maintenance works to critical water infrastructure near Obozne, Novotoshkivske and Zolote-5/Mykhailivka, as well as in Stanytsia Luhanska.

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.

From 10 to 14 August 2018 the OSCE Programme Office in Astana and the Embassy of Kazakhstan in Poland co-organized a study visit to Warsaw for four representatives of the National Centre for Human Rights (Ombudsman’s Office).

At 10:50 on 13 August, an SMM patrol consisting of five members and two armoured vehicles arrived at a logistical compound on the western edge of Smile (non-government-controlled, 31km north-west of Luhansk).

Between the evenings of 10 and 11 August, the SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and more in Luhansk region compared with the previous reporting period. Between the evenings of 11 and 12 August, the SMM again recorded fewer ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and more in Luhansk region compared with the previous 24 hours. The SMM observed the bodies of two men, one who appeared to be deceased, at separate checkpoints near the contact line. The SMM observed an armed man inside the Zolote disengagement area and ordnance disposal activity in the Stanytsia Luhanska disengagement area. Its access remained restricted in all three disengagement areas and again near Zaichenko, Bezimenne and Novoazovsk, near the border with the Russian Federation.* The SMM observed weapons in violation of withdrawal lines on both sides of the contact line. It also observed hundreds of crates of ammunition and rockets at a compound in Khrustalnyi. The Mission continued to facilitate the operation of the Donetsk Filtration Station as well as repairs and maintenance works to critical water infrastructure in Obozne.

VIENNA, 12 August 2018 – Special Representative of the Italian Chairperson-in-Office for the South Caucasus, Ambassador Günther Bächler, today made the following statement on the occasion of the tenth anniversary of the ceasefire in the 2008 war in Georgia...

The SMM recorded more ceasefire violations in Donetsk region compared with the previous reporting period, and for the third day in a row, no ceasefire violations in Luhansk region. The SMM observed damage to a residential house in Yasynuvata as the result of shooting. The SMM observed at least two armed probable Ukrainian Armed Forces personnel inside the Zolote disengagement area. Its access remained restricted in all three disengagement areas and again near Zaichenko and Bezimenne, as well as Izvaryne, Sievernyi, and Novoazovsk, near the border with the Russian Federation. The SMM observed weapons in violation of withdrawal lines in Lobacheve. An SMM mini-unmanned aerial vehicle spotted for the first time four electronic warfare systems in Chornukhyne. The Mission continued to facilitate the operation of the Donetsk Filtration Station, including through monitoring the security situation around the station, as well as repairs and maintenance works to critical water and electrical infrastructure in Luhansk region...

The SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations in Donetsk region compared with the previous reporting period, and no ceasefire violations in Luhansk region. The Mission observed fresh damage from gunfire to a garage door in a residential area of Yasynuvata. It continued monitoring the disengagement areas near Stanytsia Luhanska, Zolote and Petrivske. The SMM observed ceasefire violations near the Zolote disengagement area and Ukrainian Armed Forces personnel inside the area, on the northern side of the road bridge. Its access remained restricted in all three areas and again near Bezimenne and Zaichenko.* The SMM observed weapons in violation of withdrawal lines on both sides of the contact line. The Mission continued to facilitate the operation of the Donetsk Filtration Station, including through monitoring the security situation around the station, as well as repairs and maintenance works to critical water and electrical infrastructure in Luhansk region...

VIENNA, 10 August 2018 – Following the recent blocking of news websites due to allegations of defamation in Azerbaijan, the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Harlem Désir today urgently called on the authorities to reform the laws and regulations affecting media and to encourage pluralistic debate on all issues of public importance, both off– and online...

The OSCE Programme Office in Dushanbe organized a workshop on border re-demarcation best practices for 21 border officials from Uzbekistan and Tajikistan from 6 to10 August 2018 in Dushanbe...

The SMM recorded more ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and fewer in Luhansk region compared with the previous reporting period. An explosion occurred less than 150m from an SMM patrol at the entry-exit checkpoint near Marinka. The Mission continued monitoring the disengagement areas near Stanytsia Luhanska, Zolote and Petrivske, and observed ceasefire violations near the Stanytsia Luhanska disengagement area. The SMM’s access remained restricted in all three disengagement areas as well as in Novolaspa and, again, in Novoazovsk, Bezimenne and Zaichenko.* The Mission’s long-range unmanned aerial vehicle spotted convoys of trucks entering and exiting Ukraine via a dirt track where there are no border crossing facilities in a non-government-controlled area of Donetsk region in the middle of the night. The SMM continued to facilitate the operation of the Donetsk Filtration Station, including through monitoring the security situation around the station, as well as repairs and maintenance works to critical civilian infrastructure in Luhansk region...

Mine risk awareness, human rights, gender mainstreaming and the importance of local population involvement in border protection were the focus of three 14-day mobile training courses, that were organized by the OSCE Programme Office in Dushanbe and concluded on 9 August 2019...

The OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) published a new tool on 9 August 2018 to support the effective implementation of minimum standards for the treatment of prisoners. The resource, produced jointly with Penal Reform International (PRI), was launched initially

The SMM recorded more ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and fewer in Luhansk region, compared with the previous reporting period. The Mission’s access remained restricted in all three disengagement areas; it was also restricted at a checkpoint near Khreshchatytske.* The Mission continued to facilitate the operation of the Donetsk Filtration Station, including through monitoring the security situation around the station, as well as repairs and maintenance works to critical civilian infrastructure near Artema, Stanytsia Luhanska, Novotoshkivske and Popasna. In Kherson, the SMM monitored the court hearing of the former RIA Novosti Ukraine editor-in-chief...

VIENNA, 8 August 2018 – OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Harlem Désir today expressed serious concern over the detention of journalists with the Belarusian Tut.by and BelaPAN news agencies, as well as raids of newsrooms and journalists’ homes by law enforcement agents, and the seizure of their equipment...

The OSCE Programme Office in Astana and the International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Office of the United States Embassy in Astana organized a visit to London from 24 to 26 July 2018 for eight officials from Kazakhstan to study the United Kingdom’s experience in introducing the Advanced Passenger Information Exchange System (API) and the Passenger Name Recorder (PNR)...

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 SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and more ceasefire violations in Luhansk region, compared with the last 24 hours. Small-arms fire was assessed as directed at an SMM mini-unmanned aerial vehicle in Artema. The Mission’s access remained restricted in the Stanytsia Luhanska, Zolote and Petrivske disengagement areas, as well as near Bezimenne, Zaichenko, Novoazovsk and Hranitne.* The Mission continued to facilitate the operation of the Donetsk Filtration Station, including through monitoring the security situation around the station, as well as repairs and maintenance works to critical civilian infrastructure near Artema, Stanytsia Luhanska, Novotoshkivske, in Zolote-3 and Zolote-5. The SMM monitored a pre-trial hearing in Kherson, a planned appellate court hearing in Odessa and observed a public gathering in Kyiv...

Prime Minister of Kyrgyzstan Muhammetkaliy Abylgaziev and the Head of the OSCE Programme Office in Bishkek Pierre von Arx discussed bilateral co-operation and the implementation of the OSCE programme and project activities in the country, including priority efforts in supporting reforms in the area of anti-corruption and economic development on 2 August 2018, at the Office of the Prime Minister in Bishkek...

Between the evenings of 3 and 4 August, the SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations in Donetsk region, compared with the previous reporting period,and no ceasefire violations in Luhansk region. Between the evenings of 4 and 5 August, the SMM recorded more ceasefire violations in Donetsk region compared with the previous 24 hours, and for the third consecutive day, no ceasefire violations in Luhansk region. The Mission continued monitoring the disengagement areas near Stanytsia Luhanska, Zolote and Petrivske, where it observed no ceasefire violations. Its access remained restricted in all three areas, as well as near Bezimenne, Zaichenko, Novoazovsk and Yasynuvata, and in Donetsk.*The Mission continued to facilitate the operation of the Donetsk Filtration Station, including through monitoring the security situation around the station...

The SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations in Donetsk region compared with the previous reporting period and none in Luhansk region. The Mission followed up on a civilian casualty in Zalizne. The SMM continued monitoring the disengagement areas near Stanytsia Luhanska, Zolote and Petrivske, and observed a recently fortified position in the disengagement area near Zolote. The SMM’s access remained restricted in all three disengagement areas, as well as near Novoazovsk (where the SMM was turned back after waiting for five hours, preventing it from accessing Novoazovsk and the nearby border crossing point on the border with the Russian Federation) and at two border crossing points on the border with the Russian Federation in Luhansk region. The Mission observed weapons in violation of withdrawal lines near Khrustalnyi, Mius, Vuhlehirsk and Debaltseve. The Mission continued to facilitate the operation of the Donetsk Filtration Station, including through monitoring the security situation around the station, as well as repairs and maintenance works to a pumping station near Artema...

The SMM recorded more ceasefire violations in Donetsk and Luhansk regions, compared with the previous reporting period. The SMM continued monitoring the disengagement areas near Stanytsia Luhanska, Zolote and Petrivske, and observed ceasefire violations near the Stanytsia Luhanska disengagement area, as well as new firing positions inside the Zolote disengagement area assessed as belonging to Ukrainian Armed Forces. The SMM’s access remained restricted in all three disengagement areas, as well as near Siedove, Rivnopil and Novoazovsk.* The Mission observed weapons in violation of withdrawal lines on both sides of the contact line. The SMM observed an anti-tank mine for the first time near Novotroitske. The Mission continued to facilitate the operation of the Donetsk Filtration Station, including through monitoring the security situation around the station, as well as repairs and maintenance works to other essential civilian infrastructure near Artema, Novotoshkivske, Popasna and Stanytsia Luhanska. In Kyiv, the SMM monitored a ceremony organized by the Roma community commemorating the victims of the 1941-1943 massacres at Babi Yar. In Lviv, the SMM again observed vandalism of tombs at a Second World War memorial...

A five-day train-the-trainer course on disability rights, organized and conducted by the OSCE Programme Office in Dushanbe, concluded on 3 August 2018...

Some 240 district law enforcement officers and social workers completed training courses on combating domestic violence organized by the OSCE Mission to Moldova in eight southern districts of Moldova, including the Autonomous Territorial District of Gagauzia from 18 July to 2 August 2018...

VIENNA, 2 August 2018 – OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Harlem Désir today in a letter to the Turkish authorities expressed his concern over recent judicial action launched by the country’s prosecution against two journalists of the Turkish Cypriot daily Afrika...

The SMM recorded more ceasefire violations in Donetsk, compared with the previous reporting period, and no ceasefire violations in Luhansk region. The SMM continued monitoring the disengagement areas near Stanytsia Luhanska, Zolote and Petrivske where it observed a situation of calm while positioned there. The SMM’s access remained restricted in all three disengagement areas. The Mission observed weapons in violation of withdrawal lines on both sides of the contact line. The Mission continued to facilitate the operation of the Donetsk Filtration Station, including through monitoring the security situation around the station, as well as repairs and maintenance works to other essential civilian infrastructure near Zalizne, Artema and Malynove. In Kherson, the SMM followed up on media reports of an attack on a city council official. The SMM saw anti-Semitic graffiti in Odessa and monitored gatherings in front of the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Internal Affairs in Kyiv...

The OSCE Programme Office in Dushanbe facilitated plenary discussions on the implementation of Tajikistan’s 2020 National Strategy and Action Plan on Prevention of Violent Extremism on 27 July 2018 in Dushanbe...

This report is for the media and the general public. The SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations in Donetsk and Luhansk regions compared with the previous reporting period. The Mission continued monitoring the disengagement areas near Stanytsia Luhanska, Zolote and Petrivske; it recorded ceasefire

KAMENSK-SHAKHTINSKIY, Russian Federation. The Observer Mission (OM) continues to operate 24/7 at both Border Crossing Points (BCPs). On 26 July, the seventy-seventh Russian convoy of 21 vehicles crossed into Ukraine and returned through the Donetsk Border Crossing Point...

The SMM recorded a sharp increase in the number of ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and more ceasefire violations in Luhansk region, compared with the previous reporting period. The Mission continued monitoring the disengagement areas near Stanytsia Luhanska, Zolote and Petrivske, where it observed no ceasefire violations. Its access remained restricted in all three areas, as well as again near Bezimenne and Zaichenko. The SMM observed weapons in violation of withdrawal lines near Kalynove. The Mission continued to facilitate the operation of the Donetsk Filtration Station, including through monitoring the security situation around the station, as well as repairs and maintenance works to critical civilian infrastructure near Stanytsia Luhanska, Artema, Novotoshkivske and Zalizne.

Representatives of the State Environmental Committee on Environmental Protection and Land Resources of Turkmenistan, the Mejlis (parliament), Ministry of Justice and other relevant agencies of Turkmenistan discussed the development of national environmental legislation at an OSCE-organized seminar held on 30 and 31 July 2018 in Ashgabat...

A scientific conference titled Current challenges of human trafficking, attended by representatives of scientific and education organizations of Kyrgyzstan, was held in Bishkek on 30 July 2018, on the occasion of World Day against Trafficking in Person...

The SMM recorded a similar number of ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and fewer in Luhansk region between the evenings of 27 and 28 July compared with the previous reporting period. Between the evenings of 28 and 29 July, the SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations in Donetsk region compared with the previous 24 hours, and no ceasefire violations in Luhansk region. Small arms were fired 600m from the SMM near Chornukhyne, assessed as directed at an SMM unmanned aerial vehicle. The SMM observed fresh damage caused by shelling in a residential area of Mala Yurivka. The Mission continued monitoring the disengagement areas near Stanytsia Luhanska, Zolote and Petrivske; it recorded ceasefire violations near the Petrivske and Stanytsia Luhanska disengagement areas. Its access remained restricted in all three areas, as well as near Bezimenne, Zaichenko and Horlivka. The SMM observed weapons in violation of withdrawal lines near Ocheretyne. The Mission continued to facilitate the operation of the Donetsk Filtration Station, including through monitoring the security situation around the station, as well as repairs and maintenance works to critical civilian infrastructure near Zalizne. In Kyiv, the SMM monitored a procession of up to 70,000 people organized by the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Kyiv Patriarchate to commemorate the adoption of Christianity...

Vienna, 30 July 2018 –Austrian Federal Minister for Europe, Integration and Foreign Affairs Karin Kneissl met today with OSCE Secretary General Thomas Greminger at the headquarters of the organization in Vienna.

WARSAW/VIENNA, 30 July 2018 – Effective policies to combat trafficking in human beings, including the trafficking of children, must focus on both the effects and the roots of this terrible crime, OSCE senior officials said today, on the occasion of the World Day against Trafficking in Persons...

The SMM recorded more ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and fewer violations in Luhansk region compared with the previous reporting period. The SMM followed up on three civilian casualties from unexploded ordnance near Hranitne and Horlivka. The SMM continued monitoring the disengagement areas near Stanytsia Luhanska, Zolote and Petrivske and observed new firing positions and a freshly dug trench inside the Zolote disengagement area. Its access remained restricted in all three disengagement areas as well as near Oleksandrivske, Starolaspa, Bezimenne and Siedove, and again in Zaichenko. The SMM observed weapons in violation of withdrawal lines near Vershyna, Zolote-3/Stakhanovets and Donetskyi. The Mission continued to facilitate the operation of the Donetsk Filtration Station, including through monitoring the security situation around the station, as well as repairs and maintenance works to critical civilian infrastructure near Zalizne, Popasna and Artema. In Luhansk city, the SMM observed over 100 large boxes being offloaded from trucks labelled “Humanitarian Aid from the Russian Federation”. In Kyiv, the SMM monitored a procession organized by the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of up to 70,000 people to commemorate the adoption of Christianity.

The SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations in Donetsk region compared with the previous reporting period and a similar number of ceasefire violations in Luhansk region compared with the previous reporting period. The SMM continued monitoring the disengagement areas near Stanytsia Luhanska, Zolote and Petrivske and recorded ceasefire violations near the Zolote disengagement area. Its access remained restricted in all three disengagement areas as well as, again, in Zaichenko in southern Donetsk region and at a border crossing point near Izvaryne, near the border with the Russian Federation.*

The OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) launched a new version of its free legislative database Legislationline.org on 27 July 2018. Created in 2002, the online database is designed to assist OSCE participating States in bringing their legislation into line with OSCE

Senior trade and customs officials from five Central Asian countries, Afghanistan, and their main trading partners – Russia and Turkey, received practical guidance on trade facilitation at a three-day annual training workshop on 26 July in Dushanbe. The event was jointly organized by the OSCE Programme Office in Dushanbe and the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe. The OSCE Border Management Staff College in Dushanbe hosted the workshop.

On 26 July at 06:35 (Moscow time), the seventy-seventh Russian convoy arrived at the Donetsk Border Crossing Point (BCP). A total of 21 vehicles were checked by Russian Federation border guards and customs officers prior to their crossing into Ukraine. All 21 vehicles had crossed back into the Russian Federation by 15:55 on 26 July.

The SMM recorded more ceasefire violations in Donetsk and Luhansk regions, compared with the previous reporting period. The SMM continued monitoring the disengagement areas near Stanytsia Luhanska, Zolote and Petrivske and recorded ceasefire violations inside the Stanytsia Luhanska disengagement area. Its access remained restricted in all three disengagement areas, as well as in Starolaspa.* The SMM observed weapons in violation of withdrawal lines near Vesele, Svobodne, Khrustalnyi, Novoamvrosiivske and Starolaspa. The Mission continued to facilitate the operation of the Donetsk Filtration Station, including through monitoring the security situation around the station, as well as repairs and maintenance works to critical civilian infrastructure near Zalizne, Stanytsia Luhanska and Novotoshkivske, as well as in Popasna.

MINSK, 25 July 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 25 July 2018: