News and press releases

The rehabilitation of victims of torture was the main focus of a workshop organized in Vienna on 21 June 2018 by the Italian OSCE Chairmanship, the Government of Denmark, the Government of Switzerland, the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), the inter-governmental

BIHAĆ, Bosnia and Herzegovina, 21 June 2018- The OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) presented a first assessment of issues negatively impacting the quality and effectiveness of the judicial response to corruption in BiH to representatives of the judiciary and law enforcement agencies today in Bihać...

The SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and more in Luhansk region, compared with the previous reporting period. The Mission followed up on reports of a civilian casualty near Trokhizbenka. The SMM continued monitoring the disengagement areas near Stanytsia Luhanska, Zolote and Petrivske; it observed ceasefire violations near the Zolote disengagement area. The Mission’s access remained restricted in all three disengagement areas and was also restricted at a checkpoint in Kozatske. 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. It also facilitated and monitored repairs to the Petrivske pumping station near Artema, to the water distribution network in Stanytsia Luhanska and to an electric transformer station near Vasylivka. In Kharkiv, the SMM monitored a gathering in front of the City Council building and saw smoke inside the building...

Over 40 young people from all over the Western Balkans gathered on 20 June 2018 in Tirana to participate in Youth Trail 2018. The event is being organized for the second year in a row by the OSCE Presence in Albania, the Italian OSCE Chairmanship, the Regional Youth Cooperation Office (RYCO) and Tirana Municipality. For four days, the young people will connect, explore, discuss for democracy, peace and security in the region.

On 20 June 2018, the OSCE Mobile Training Team concluded a three-day interactive training course on identifying foreign terrorist fighters in Lviv, Ukraine The training, organized by the OSCE Transnational Threats Department with the support of the Project Co-ordinator’s Office in Ukraine was attended by 14 border and security officers from Ukraine...

A roundtable discussion to mark the completion of the development of recommendations for a large-scale regulatory reform of business practices in Kyrgyzstan, hosted by the Kyrgyz Government’s Council on Regulatory Reform and the OSCE Programme Office in Bishkek, took place at the event to mark the launch of the reform on 18 June 2018 in Bishkek...

Efforts to address anti-Semitism, discrimination and intolerance through coalition-building and to create networks and coalitions to better report on hate incidents were the focus of an event organized by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) on 20 and 21 June 2018 in

A two-day workshop aimed at assisting representatives of law enforcement bodies to combat corruption concluded on 21 June 2018 in Skopje.

The SMM recorded more ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and fewer in Luhansk region, compared with the previous reporting period. The SMM followed up on reports of a civilian casualty in Zholobok. The Mission observed damage caused by shelling in a residential area of Orikhove. The SMM continued monitoring the disengagement areas near Stanytsia Luhanska, Zolote and Petrivske; it continued to observe mines inside the Petrivske disengagement area. The Mission’s access remained restricted in all three disengagement areas and was also restricted near Holmivskyi and Markyne as well as at a heavy weapons holding area in an area of Donetsk region outside of government control. The SMM observed weapons in violation of withdrawal lines on both sides of the contact line. It continued to facilitate the operation of the Donetsk Filtration Station, including through monitoring the security situation around the station. It monitored and facilitated repairs to the Zolote-Popasna water pipeline, the water distribution network in Stanytsia Luhanska, the Voda Donbassa network in Holmivskyi and a fibre optic line south of the Stanytsia Luhanska bridge. In Kyiv, the SMM monitored public gatherings...

GENEVA, Switzerland, 20 June 2018- The 44th round of the Geneva International Discussions has just concluded...

VIENNA, 20 June 2018 – The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Harlem Désir, today called on Moldova to ensure legal certainty and to uphold its commitments on media freedom, following a legal review his Office shared with the Chairperson of Moldova’s parliament on the country’s draft Code of Audio-visual Media Services...

The second in a series of OSCE workshops on the development of guidelines and a training module for better co-ordinated, harmonized and victim-centred identification of human trafficking cases among mixed migration flows concluded in Athens on 20 June 2018. The one-day event was organized jointly by the OSCE Office of the Special Representative and Co-ordinator for Combating Trafficking in Human Beings (OSR/CTHB) and the Office of the National Rapporteur on Combating Trafficking in Human Beings within the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Greece.

Promoting dialogue to reflect on opportunities and challenges related to democratic representation in the age of rising populism was the focus of a conference co-organized by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) in Brussels from 18 to 20 June 2018. The conference,

A two-day high-level international conference on the International Decade for Action, “Water for Sustainable Development, 2018-2028” started in Dushanbe on 20 June 2018. The Conference is organized by the government of the Republic of Tajikistan in co-operation with the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, United Nations Water and in partnership with the OSCE and other international organizations

WARSAW, 20 June 2018 – While the countries in the OSCE region have committed themselves to protecting the human rights of all refugees, they also have the responsibility to ensure the security and dignified treatment of all individuals wanting to cross borders, especially the most vulnerable and those at the greatest risk, Ingibjörg Sólrún Gísladóttir, Director of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), said on today’s World Refugee Day...

The SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and more in Luhansk region, compared with the previous 24 hours. The Mission observed fresh damage caused by shelling in residential areas of Pikuzy and Novotoshkivske. Small arms were fired in the direction of an SMM unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) near Petrivske, assessed as targeting the UAV. The SMM continued monitoring the disengagement areas near Stanytsia Luhanska, Zolote and Petrivske; it recorded ceasefire violations near the Zolote and the Petrivske disengagement areas. The Mission’s access remained restricted in all three disengagement areas, and was also restricted near Izvaryne and Sievernyi at the border with the Russian Federation as well as near Holmivskyi and Zachativka. The SMM observed weapons in violation of withdrawal lines near Oleksandropil and Khlibodarivka. It continued to facilitate the operation of the Donetsk Filtration Station, including through monitoring the security situation around the station. The SMM facilitated and monitored repairs of the water distribution network in Stanytsia Luhanska, the Petrivske pumping station near Artema and the Zolote-Popasna water pipeline. In Odessa, the Mission monitored a gathering in front of the Consulate General of the Russian Federation...

MINSK, 19 June 2018 – The OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) today launched the two-year, European Union-funded project “Promoting Democratization and Human Rights in Belarus”, with two days of seminars in Minsk focusing on fair-trial rights...

COPENHAGEN, 19 June 2018 – Ignacio Sanchez Amor (MP, Spain), Chair of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly’s human rights committee, today criticized the U.S. government’s violation of human rights and humanitarian standards in its treatment of migrants – and especially migrant children – attempting to cross the U.S.-Mexico border...

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 slightly decreased at both BCPs...

The OSCE Mission to Moldova organized a workshop in Tiraspol on 15 June 2018 for 35 legal professionals from both banks of the Dniester/Nistru River on international standards regulating the right to the freedom of movement...

COPENHAGEN, 18 June 2018 – Welcoming the signing on Sunday of an agreement between Athens and Skopje over a long-running name dispute between the two OSCE countries, OSCE Parliamentary Assembly President George Tsereteli (MP, Georgia) today congratulated the governments for taking a major step forward in resolving the disagreement. He thanked the mediators for their work, congratulated Prime Ministers Alexis Tsipras and Zoran Zaev for their leadership, and expressed hope for next steps to be taken to speedily put this agreement in practice...

The importance of full participation of women in public and political life, and of co-operation between women’s parliamentary bodies and civil society, particularly organizations promoting women’s rights, was highlighted during the 10th National Congress of Women, which took place in Lodz, Poland,

The SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations in both Donetsk and Luhansk regions between the evenings of 15 and 16 June compared with the previous reporting period. Between the evenings of 16 and 17 June, the SMM recorded more ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and fewer in Luhansk region compared with the previous 24 hours. The Mission followed up on civilian casualties in Pivdenne and Druzhkivka. It observed fresh damage caused by shelling in residential areas of Pikuzy and Zolote. The SMM continued monitoring the disengagement areas near Stanytsia Luhanska, Zolote and Petrivske; it recorded ceasefire violations inside the Petrivske disengagement area. The Mission’s access remained restricted in all three disengagement areas. The SMM observed weapons in violation of withdrawal lines near Pankivka. The Mission continued to facilitate the access of Voda Donbassa water company employees to the Donetsk Filtration Station, including through monitoring the security situation around the station. In Kyiv, it monitored the “March of Equality” organized by activists of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex community.

VIENNA, 18 May 2018 – The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) today announced the 18 finalists of the OSCE Scholarship Programme for young people from the Western Balkans to attend the European Innovation Academy (EIA), one of the world’s leading summer entrepreneurship programmes in Turin, Italy...

An OSCE-supported international conference entitled Advocates 2018. Improving the Quality of Legal Services concluded on 16 June in Almaty, Kazakhstan...

VIENNA, 18 June 2018 – OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Harlem Désir today expressed concern following the adoption of legislative amendments in Belarus which further restrict media activities in the country. The amendments affect the work of national mass media, internet resources, and foreign media outlets.

Representatives of the Presidential Administration of Kyrgyzstan, the Central Commission for Elections and Referenda (CEC), the OSCE Programme Office in Bishkek, the UN Development Programme (UNDP) and the Swiss Embassy to Kyrgyzstan participated in the opening ceremony of the Capacity Development Centre for the State Registration Services under the Government (SRS) in Bishkek on 14 June 2018.

Vienna, 17 June 2018 – A group of 25 Permanent Representatives to the OSCE will be traveling to Armenia, Georgia and Azerbaijan from 18 to 22 June 2018. In all three countries, the ambassadors will meet with representatives of the national authorities and parliaments, as well as with civil society.

The SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations in Donetsk and Luhansk regions, compared with the previous 24 hours. Surface-to-air missiles and anti-aircraft gun rounds were fired in the direction of an SMM long-range unmanned aerial vehicle flying over Betmanove. The Mission observed damage caused by shelling and small-arms fire in and near residential areas of Pikuzy, Dokuchaievsk, Holubivske and Holubivka, as well as near Bohdanivka. The SMM continued monitoring the disengagement areas near Stanytsia Luhanska, Zolote and Petrivske; it recorded ceasefire violations near the Stanytsia Luhanska and Zolote disengagement areas. The Mission’s access remained restricted in all three disengagement areas and was also restricted near Sosnivske. The SMM observed weapons in violation of withdrawal lines on both sides of the contact line. The Mission continued to facilitate the access of Voda Donbassa water company employees to the Donetsk Filtration Station, including through monitoring the security situation around the station. It monitored and facilitated repairs to the Petrivske pumping station near Artema and to sewage and water pipelines leading to the entry-exit checkpoint in Stanytsia Luhanska.

At 05:06 on 15 June, an SMM long-range unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) that was flying over Betmanove (non-government-controlled, formerly Krasnyi Partyzan, 23km north-east of Donetsk) recorded a condensation trail of a missile following a ballistic trajectory at a significantly lower altitude than the UAV from the north-east.

The SMM recorded more ceasefire violations in Donetsk and Luhansk regions compared with the previous reporting period. In Pikuzy, a member of the armed formations fired shots in the general direction of the SMM. The Mission followed up on reports of civilian casualties in Kuibyshevskyi district of Donetsk city. It observed fresh damage caused by shelling in a residential area of Donetskyi. The SMM continued monitoring the disengagement areas near Stanytsia Luhanska, Zolote and Petrivske; it recorded ceasefire violations inside the Zolote and Petrivske disengagement areas. The Mission’s access remained restricted in all three areas as well as in or near the Trudivski area of Donetsk city’s Petrovskyi district, Pokrovka, Kozatske, Donetsk’s Kuibyshevskyi district and near Dovzhanske at the border with the Russian Federation. The SMM observed weapons in violation of withdrawal lines near residential areas in Donetskyi. The Mission continued to facilitate the access of Voda Donbassa water company employees to the Donetsk Filtration Station, including through monitoring the security situation around the station. It continued to monitor and facilitate repairs to the Petrivske pumping station near Artema.

A five-day training course aimed at strengthening the capacity of Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Internal Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Security Service and Prosecutor’s Office officials to disrupt the financing of terrorist networks and to apply sanctions pursuant to relevant United Nations Security Council Resolutions concluded on 15 June 2018 in Astana...

Current challenges and solutions for the ensuring the rule of law topped the agenda of this year’s annual Shaikenov Readings, which took the form of an OSCE-supported international conference on 15 June 2018 in Astana...

ROME, 15 June 2018 – It is an honour to be the Chairperson-in-Office of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe. In a world of complex and inter-linked challenges that require effective multilateral solutions, the OSCE has a crucial role to play in fostering inclusive dialogue and improving our regional security. As the world’s largest regional security organization, the OSCE is a unique platform for political co-operation.

At 14:03 on 14 June, an SMM patrol consisting of six members and two armoured vehicles was in Pikuzy (formerly Kominternove, non-government-controlled, 23km north-east of Mariupol) on the corner of roads T-0519 and C-051235, where it stopped to observe fresh tracks from what it assessed to be an infantry fighting vehicle (BMP-type) on the asphalt...

The Border Security and Management Unit (BSMU) of the OSCE’s Transnational Threats Department, in close co-operation with the OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Uzbekistan, organized a workshop on establishing an Advance Passenger Information (API) system in Uzbekistan from 13 to 14 June. The event was aimed at detecting and preventing the movement of foreign terrorist fighters (FTFs), particularly those returning or relocating from conflict zones.

The SMM recorded more ceasefire violations in Donetsk and Luhansk regions, compared with the previous reporting period. The Mission followed up on reports of civilian casualties in Holubivske. It observed fresh damage caused by shelling in a residential area of Pikuzy as well as damage to a school in Betmanove. The SMM continued monitoring the disengagement areas near Stanytsia Luhanska, Zolote and Petrivske; it observed military hardware inside the Zolote and Petrivske disengagement areas. The Mission’s access remained restricted in all three areas. The SMM observed weapons in violation of withdrawal lines near residential areas in Tarasivka as well as in Oleksandropil, Novoaidar and Topolyne. The Mission continued to facilitate the access of Voda Donbassa water company employees to the Donetsk Filtration Station through monitoring the security situation around the station. It continued to monitor and facilitate repairs to water pipelines near Holmivskyi and mine clearance at the entry-exit checkpoint near Maiorsk...

VIENNA, 14 June 2018 – The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Harlem Désir today said he was concerned about recent proposals to amend the Law on Audio-Visual Media in Albania...

VIENNA, 14 June 2018- The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Harlem Désir today expressed his concern following last night’s disappearance of Stefan Cvetković, a journalist from Bela Crkva in Serbia...

The current human rights situation in Crimea and the challenges faced by human rights defenders working on and in Crimea were discussed at an expert meeting on 14 June 2018 in Kherson, Ukraine. The meeting was organized by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) in co-operation with the Mission of the President of Ukraine in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea.

KYIV, 14 June 2018 – Alexander Hug, the Principal Deputy Chief Monitor of the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine, will hold his regular news briefing on Friday, 15 June, in Kyiv.

A team of experts from the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) visited Skopje from 13 to 14 June 2018 to provide assistance at the final meeting of the working group on electoral reform, which is mandated to review the country’s electoral code.

YEREVAN, 14 June 2018- The Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group (Igor Popov of the Russian Federation, Stephane Visconti of France, and Andrew Schofer of the United States of America) together with the Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office Andrzej Kasprzyk, met with Foreign Minister Zohrab Mnatsakanyan, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, Defense Minister Davit Tonoyan, and President Armen Sarkissian during an introductory visit to Yerevan on 12-14 June.

Addressing the security needs of Jewish communities was the focus of an event co-organized by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) and the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs of the Slovak Republic, in co-operation with the Interior Ministry of the Slovak

The OSCE Mission to Montenegro, in partnership with Montenegrin National Coordinator’s Office for Combating Human Trafficking, organized a workshop dedicated to the preparation of the 2019-2024 Draft National Strategy for Combating Trafficking in Human Beings (THB) and the 2019 Action Plan from 11 to 13 June 2018 in Podgorica...

MINSK, 13 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 13 June 2018:...

ROME/VIENNA- OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Italy’s Foreign Minister Enzo Moavero Milanesi and OSCE Secretary General Thomas Greminger welcomed the announcement of an agreement between Athens and Skopje on resolving the name issue, which they hailed as a major step towards advancing regional stability...

The SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations in Donetsk and Luhansk regions, compared with the previous reporting period. The Mission followed up on reports of civilian casualties in Holubivske. The SMM observed damage caused by shelling at a civilian residence in Dokuchaievsk. The SMM continued monitoring the disengagement areas near Stanytsia Luhanska, Zolote and Petrivske; it recorded ceasefire violations nearby and observed military equipment and new positions of the armed formations inside the Zolote disengagement area. The Mission’s access remained restricted in all three areas and it was also prevented from following up on civilian casualties at a hospital in an area outside of government control. The SMM observed weapons in violation of withdrawal lines in Zolote (outside the disengagement area) and Khlibodarivka. The Mission continued to facilitate the access of Voda Donbassa water company employees to the Donetsk Filtration Station through monitoring the security situation around the station. It continued to monitor and facilitate repairs to the Petrivske pumping station near Artema and water repairs near Holmivskyi...

VIENNA, 13 June 2018 – Ways to enhance women’s participation in the armed forces were a key area of focus at this year’s Annual Discussion on the Implementation of the OSCE Code of Conduct on Politico-Military Aspects of Security, held today in Vienna. Representatives of the OSCE participating States shared their experiences on implementing the Code, a unique and fundamental document which aims to regulate the role of armed forces in democratic societies...

Participants from eight OSCE field operations and 16 non-governmental organizations from across the OSCE region shared experiences and exchanged good practices at the 16th annual trial monitoring meeting. The event was organized in Kyiv by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) and the OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Ukraine from 12 to 14 June 2018.