News and press releases

The OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), in partnership with the Office of the Polish Commissioner for Human Rights, surveyed people of African descent and Muslims in Warsaw, and Ukrainians in Krakow in a study designed to provide a better understanding of the scale of

SARAJEVO, 29 June 2018 – The OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) concluded today in Zenica the last in a series of workshops on the professional reporting and protection mechanisms for journalists and media professionals. The workshops, held in Mostar, Banja Luka, Brcko, Bihac and Zenica, gathered around 100 journalists, students of journalism, photojournalists and cameramen. They were designed to familiarize journalists with the legal framework and professional standards governing their rights and obligations in order for them to be able to perform their duties and tasks in a professional manner...

Good practices related to the secondment and deployment of election observers was the focus of a meeting with national focal points for election observation held by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) in Warsaw on 28 and 29 June 2018. The meeting – the first of its

Members of the OSCE Mediterranean Points of Contact Network on border security and management completed an intensive and interactive five-day training course on various topics related to their work on 29 June 2018 at the headquarters of the Malta Police Force in Floriana...

The first edition of a training course organized by the OSCE Mission in Kosovo for young community activists entitled “Leaders against intolerance and violent extremism (LIVE)” concluded on 29 June 2018 in Prishtinë/Priština...

To promote and support international police training and co-operation, the OSCE Police Academies Network (PAN) was established in Vienna on 29 June 2018 as an outcome of a project developed by the Strategic Police Matters Unit at the Transnational Threats Department...

The OSCE Programme Office in Bishkek, in close co-operation with the Border Security and Management Unit of the OSCE’s Transnational Threats Department, organized a study visit to Amsterdam for seven aviation security experts from Kyrgyzstan. The visit, which took place from 26 to 28 June, aimed at providing Kyrgyz representatives with a better understanding of the benefits of using Advance Passenger Information (API) data for border management purposes. The trip enabled them to experience first-hand the functioning of the Travel Information Portal (TRIP), the Dutch passenger data solution.

The OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Uzbekistan supported a four-day study visit of a government delegation from Uzbekistan to Japan to learn about policies and practices of open government data management. The visit, which concluded on 29 June 2018 in Tokyo, was organized in co-operation with the Embassy of Uzbekistan in Japan...

A three-day workshop on sustainable mobility, co-hosted by the OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Uzbekistan and the Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), concluded on 29 June 2018 in Tashkent...

VIENNA, 29 June 2018- The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Harlem Désir, today expressed shock and strong condemnation following the shooting at the Capital Gazette newspaper office in Annapolis, Maryland in the United States of America...

A five-day OSCE-supported training seminar on the detection of forged travel documents and identification techniques concluded in Aktau, Kazakhstan on 29 June 2018...

The SMM recorded more ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and fewer in Luhansk region compared with the previous reporting period. The SMM continued monitoring the disengagement areas near Stanytsia Luhanska, Zolote and Petrivske; it recorded ceasefire violations near and indications of new military presence in the Zolote disengagement area. The Mission’s access remained restricted in all three disengagement areas as well as at a border area outside government control in Luhansk region and in Markyne. 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 other essential civilian infrastructure on both sides of the contact line. In Zakarpattia and in Lviv, the SMM monitored gatherings related to a recent attack against members of the Roma community in the latter. In Kyiv, it observed a gathering celebrating the Day of the Crimean Tatar Flag.

LONDON, 28 June 2018 – To achieve their goals and objectives, the countries of South East Europe must focus on their common interests, OSCE Parliamentary Assembly President George Tsereteli (Georgia) said at a meeting of the European Leadership Network at the House of Lords in London today...

The OSCE Mission to Montenegro, in co-operation with the Agency for Electronic Media, organized two workshops for representatives of local public broadcasters on the promotion of tolerance and the prevention of hate speech in media, on 27 June 2018 in Budva and 28 June in Kolasin...

On 28 June 2018 at 06:19 (Moscow time), the seventy-sixth Russian convoy arrived at the Donetsk Border Crossing Point (BCP). A total of 17 vehicles were checked by Russian Federation border guards and customs officers prior to their crossing into Ukraine. All 17 vehicles had crossed back into the Russian Federation by 13:25 on 28 June...

Some 40 officials and experts from eight OSCE participating States in South-Eastern Europe gathered in Bucharest on 27 and 28 June 2018 for a sub-regional training course organized by the OSCE and Romania’s Foreign Ministry on the role of information and communication technologies (ICTs) in the context of regional and international security...

The OSCE Mission to Skopje hosted a workshop for the country’s Ministry of Interior representatives on how to improve Small Arms and Light Weapons (SALW) security within the Border Police Service...

The  final report  by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) on the 15 April 2018 presidential election in Montenegro recommends a comprehensive and inclusive reform of the election legislation. The aim of the reform should be to harmonize provisions in different

COPENHAGEN, 28 June 2018- The Chair of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly's human rights committee today expressed her deep concern about a recent deadly attack on a Roma community in western Ukraine. Isabel Santos (MP, Portugal), who also serves as a Vice-President of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, offered sincere condolences on behalf of the Assembly to the families of the victims, and called for a thorough investigation into this apparent hate crime...

VIENNA, 28 June 2018- The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Harlem Désir welcomed yesterday’s initiative by the Prime Minister of Poland, Mateusz Morawiecki, to amend the ‘Holocaust law’ and the swift decision by the lower house of Poland’s parliament to remove criminal penalties for ascribing any responsibility to the Polish nation for the Holocaust, including suggestions regarding its complicity...

ALMATY, 28 June 2018 – A two-day regional seminar on countering the use of the Internet for terrorist purposes for Central Asian judges, prosecutors, investigators and lawmakers began today in Almaty, Kazakhstan...

MINSK, 27 June 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 27 June 2018:

The OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities, Lamberto Zannier, met with Vasyl Bodnar, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, on 27 September in The Hague. They discussed matters related to interethnic relations in Ukraine and Ukraine’s bilateral relations with its neighbours...

The SMM recorded more ceasefire violations in both Donetsk and Luhansk regions compared with the previous reporting period. The SMM continued monitoring the disengagement areas near Stanytsia Luhanska, Zolote and Petrivske; it recorded ceasefire violations in the Petrivske and Zolote disengagement areas and also observed military personnel in the latter. The Mission’s access remained restricted in all three disengagement areas as well as in Komar and Zaichenko and at a heavy weapons holding area in a government-controlled area of Donetsk region. 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 to a water pumping station near Artema. In Mukacheve and Lviv, the SMM continued following up on an attack on members of the Roma community in Lviv...

Experts from ten countries across the OSCE region joined representatives of disabled people’s organizations (DPOs) at two events in Dushanbe on 26 and 27 June 2018 to exchange information and opinions on recent developments in the field of disability rights and share experiences on the inclusion of

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...

Greater efforts to guarantee a level playing field for candidates are needed to improve the electoral process in Hungary, says the final report by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) on the country’s 8 April 2018 parliamentary elections. The report, published on 27

CHISINAU, 26 June 2018 – Concluding his first visit to Moldova, OSCE Parliamentary Assembly President George Tsereteli (MP, Georgia) lauded recent achievements in the Transdniestrian settlement process and encouraged both Chisinau and Tiraspol to sustain the momentum of progress in the coming months to create the necessary conditions for a comprehensive and peaceful resolution of the conflict...

The SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations in Donetsk and Luhansk regions, compared with the previous 24 hours. The Mission followed up on reports of a civilian casualty in Trokhizbenka. It observed fresh damage caused by shelling in a residential area of Pikuzy. The SMM continued monitoring the disengagement areas near Stanytsia Luhanska, Zolote and Petrivske; it recorded ceasefire violations inside the Zolote disengagement area. The Mission’s access remained restricted in all three disengagement areas as well as in Zaichenko and at a heavy weapons holding area in a non-government-controlled area of Donetsk region. 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 a water pumping station in Artema and a water pipeline in Stanytsia Luhanska. In Lviv, the SMM continued to follow up on media reports of an attack on and killing of a member of the Roma community in the city...

The OSCE Mission in Kosovo is hosting the third edition of its Junior Basketball Tournament from 25 to 30 June 2018 at the Recreational Centre in Germia Park, Prishtinë/Priština...

Understanding hate crimes against Muslims and developing guidelines to address the security needs of Muslim communities was at the centre of regional stakeholder consultations for Western Europe co-organized by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) in Frankfurt,

The importance of observing human rights standards to improve the effectiveness of counter-terrorism policing was the focus of a training workshop held by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) with the support of the OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Uzbekistan in Tashkent

ALMATY, Kazakhstan, 26 June 2018- The twelfth annual OSCE Central Asian Youth Network (CAYN) seminar began today in Almaty, Kazakhstan.

The role of the OSCE in promoting economic diplomacy and connectivity was the focus of an expert workshop organized by the Office of the Co-ordinator of OSCE Economic and Environmental Activities (OCEEA) and the Department of Political Science and International Studies at the University of Birmingham on 25 June 2018 in Vienna...

VIENNA, 26 June 2018 – The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Harlem Désir, today expressed alarm after a van was driven into the offices of the De Telegraaf newspaper in the Netherlands, and the vehicle then set on fire...

VIENNA 26 June 2018 – High-level representatives of the 57 OSCE participating States, Partners for Co-operation and partnering organizations convened in Vienna today for deep and wide-ranging discussions on current security threats and challenges for Europe and the OSCE’s role in addressing them. The three-day Annual Security Review Conference is being hosted by the Italian OSCE Chairmanship under the motto “Dialogue, ownership and responsibility.”

An OSCE-supported three-day training seminar “Effective Investigation and Documentation of Torture and Other Inhuman Treatment in Accordance with the Istanbul Protocol” concluded on 23 June 2018 in Shymkent, Kazakhstan.

The OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) released a new guide to assist civil society organizations in building lasting coalitions to promote tolerance and non-discrimination and to address anti-Semitism in the OSCE region. The launch event took place in Brussels on 26

WARSAW, 26 June 2018 – “Torture cannot be justified under any circumstances,” Ingibjörg Sólrún Gísladóttir, Director of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), said on the occasion of today’s International Day in Support of Victims of Torture, while calling on all OSCE participating States to make it clear that no form of ill-treatment is permitted.

VIENNA, 25 June 2018 – The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Harlem Désir today condemned the physical attack and death threat against a journalist Hrvoje Bajlo last night in Zadar.

The SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations in Donetsk region, however more in Luhansk region between the evenings of 22 and 23 June compared with the previous reporting period. Between the evenings of 23 and 24 June, the SMM recorded more ceasefire violations in Donetsk and Luhansk regions compared with the previous 24 hours. The Mission followed up on reports of civilian casualties in Yasynuvata and Dokuchaievsk. It observed fresh damage caused by shelling in a residential area of Pikuzy. The SMM continued monitoring the disengagement areas near Stanytsia Luhanska, Zolote and Petrivske; it recorded an explosion inside the Stanytsia Luhanska and three projectiles inside the Zolote disengagement areas. The Mission’s access remained restricted in all three disengagement areas and elsewhere, including Nova Marivka. The SMM observed weapons in violation of withdrawal lines near Novoaidar. The Mission continued to facilitate the operation of the Donetsk Filtration Station, including through monitoring the security situation around the station. In Lviv, the SMM followed up on media reports of a physical attack against members of the Roma community in the city.

ALMATY, 26 June 2018- Labour migration practices, with the aim to leverage the economic potential of migrant workers in Central Asia and in the Russian Federation, were discussed at a two-day event supported by the OSCE and the International Organization for Migration (IOM), which concluded today in Astana...

ANKARA, 25 June 2018 – Voters had a genuine choice in the 24 June early presidential and parliamentary elections in Turkey, but the conditions for campaigning were not equal, with the incumbent president and ruling party enjoying an undue advantage, including in excessive coverage by government-affiliated public and private media outlets, the international observers concluded in a preliminary statement today...

A study visit to Belarus for Tajik state officials and representatives of free economic zones was organized by the OSCE Programme Office in Dushanbe from 18 to 24 June 2018.

The SMM recorded more ceasefire violations in both Donetsk and Luhansk regions compared with the previous reporting period. In Petrivske, the SMM was forced to drive on a mine-contaminated road by an armed member of the armed formations. The Mission observed shelling impacts in a residential area of Pikuzy. The SMM continued monitoring the disengagement areas near Stanytsia Luhanska, Zolote and Petrivske; it recorded ceasefire violations near the disengagement area near Stanytsia Luhanska. The Mission’s access remained restricted in all three disengagement areas.

Spot report

VIENNA, 22 June 2018- From 18 to 22 June 2018, a group of 24 Permanent Representatives to the OSCE visited Armenia, Georgia and Azerbaijan. The trip, the first in several years in this format, aimed at reconfirming the ambassadors’ strong interest in peace, stability and prosperity in the region, in line with OSCE commitments and principles, as well as their support for stronger OSCE engagement in each of the three countries.

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 again observed military presence inside the Zolote disengagement area. The Mission’s access remained restricted in all three disengagement areas, and was also restricted in Luhansk city and at a heavy weapons permanent storage site in a non-government-controlled part of Luhansk region. The SMM observed weapons in violation of withdrawal lines near Hirske and Novookhtyrka. The Mission continued to facilitate the operation of the Donetsk Filtration Station, including through monitoring the security situation around the station. It also continued to facilitate and monitor repairs to the Petrivske pumping station near Artema and to the water distribution network in Stanytsia Luhanska. In Kyiv, the SMM monitored a gathering outside a patrol police headquarters.

The OSCE Mission to Serbia and the Sremska Mitrovica Correctional Institution organized an Open Doors Day in the dog shelter of the Sremska Mitrovica penitentiary on 22 June 2018 to promote innovative ways for rehabilitation and resettlement of offenders.

ANKARA, 22 June 2018 – The international observers for the early presidential and parliamentary elections in Turkey will present their preliminary post-election statement at a news conference on Monday, 25 June, in Ankara.