News and press releases

Access to justice in courts of administrative jurisdiction in times of conflict, protection of human rights and application of the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) case law were in the focus of an OSCE-supported seminar on 6 and 7 June 2016 in Kramatorsk, Ukraine, which brought together some 60 judges working in the administrative courts relocated from Donetsk and Luhansk regions, as well as local and international experts...

The SMM observed more ceasefire violations in Donetsk region compared to each of the previous two days, and noted a high number of ceasefire violations, including 266 explosions, in Luhansk region compared to none on 4 and 5 June. The SMM conducted crater analysis in government-controlled Krymske and at the “LPR” checkpoint on the Stanytsia Luhanska bridge. It continued to facilitate and monitor adherence to the ceasefire to enable repair works to essential infrastructure in the Zolote-Pervomaisk area and in Veselohorivka. It continued to monitor the withdrawal of weapons. The SMM monitored gatherings in Odessa. Its freedom of movement was restricted on four occasions on both sides of the contact line...

COPENHAGEN, 7 June 2016 – Following today’s car bombing in a central tourist district in Istanbul, killing 11 and wounding dozens, OSCE Parliamentary Assembly President Ilkka Kanerva (MP, Finland) issued the following statement...

The OSCE Office in Yerevan, in close co-operation with the Armenian Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs (MLSA), organized a roundtable discussion on the economic integration of migrants in Armenia on 3 June 2016...

The SMM observed more ceasefire violations in Donetsk region both on 4 and 5 June as compared to 3 June, and observed a similarly high number of ceasefire violations in Luhansk region on the night of 3 June – compared to the previous night and fewer during the remainder of the reporting period – compared to 3 June. In particular, a sharp increase of violence was noted in the Avdiivka-Yasynuvata area and south-east of Svitlodarsk. On both sides of the contact line, the Mission conducted crater analysis and observed damages to civilian houses caused by shelling; on one occasion, the SMM observed a dead person. The SMM noted that a “DPR” checkpoint had been relocated closer to a Ukrainian Armed Forces checkpoint. The SMM continued to facilitate and monitor adherence to the ceasefire to enable repair works to essential infrastructure. The Mission’s operations were restricted by the sides on several occasions...

Application of modern forensic standards in the judiciary with a particular focus on treatment of evidence, forensic analytics and quality control, as well as DNA analysis and crime scene investigation were the focus of an OSCE-supported seminar on 3 June 2016 in Danilovgrad, Montenegro...

BANGKOK, 6 June 2016 – Joining forces in combatting violent extremism, terrorism and human trafficking, building interstate confidence in cyber space and promoting sustainable development and good migration governance is critical to ensuring comprehensive security in the OSCE area and its neighborhood, emphasized participants at the opening of the OSCE Asian Conference in Bangkok today...