News and press releases

BUDAPEST, 9 April 2018 – Hungary’s 8 April parliamentary elections were characterized by a pervasive overlap between state and ruling party resources, undermining contestants’ ability to compete on an equal basis, the observers from the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) concluded in a preliminary statement today. Voters had a wide range of political options, but intimidating and xenophobic rhetoric, media bias and opaque campaign financing constricted the space for genuine political debate, hindering voters’ ability to make a fully informed choice. The technical administration of the elections was professional and transparent, the observers said...

The SMM recorded more ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and fewer in Luhansk region, compared with the previous reporting period. The Mission continued monitoring the disengagement areas near Stanytsia Luhanska, Zolote and Petrivske; it recorded ceasefire violations in the Stanytsia Luhanska disengagement area. Its access remained restricted in all three disengagement areas and near 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 SMM continued to facilitate and monitor repairs to the Petrivske pumping station near Artema and a water pipeline in Obozne. In Kyiv, the Mission followed up on reports of a fire at a church. In Luhansk city, the SMM again monitored a gathering in front of the SMM office...

The SMM recorded more ceasefire violations in Donetsk and Luhansk regions, compared with the previous reporting period. An SMM patrol was threatened by armed men near a checkpoint east of Kreminets. The Mission continued monitoring the disengagement areas near Stanytsia Luhanska, Zolote and Petrivske; it recorded ceasefire violations near the Stanytsia Luhanska disengagement area. Its access remained restricted in all three disengagement areas and at a border area near Sievernyi (near the border with the Russian Federation).* An SMM long-range unmanned aerial vehicle experienced jamming. The SMM observed weapons in violation of withdrawal lines in Luhansk city. The SMM continued to facilitate and monitor repairs to the Petrivske pumping station near Artema and a water pipeline in Obozne. In Kyiv, the Mission monitored a gathering outside the Pecherskyi District Court and continued to monitor the situation outside a television station building. In Kherson, the SMM monitored a court hearing for the captain of a fishing ship. In Luhansk city, the SMM monitored a gathering in front of the SMM office....

COPENHAGEN, 6 April 2018 – Ignacio Sanchez Amor (MP, Spain), Chair of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly’s human rights committee, today welcomed the release of journalist Aziz Orudjev, CEO of the Internet TV channel Canal 13, who was freed from prison in Azerbaijan on Thursday. Sanchez Amor expressed hope that this signals an increased commitment to the rule of law in Azerbaijan. He said that other imprisoned journalists and activists should also be released....

WARSAW, 6 April 2018 – Legislation and institutions created to address racism and discrimination against Roma and Sinti need to be backed with the political will and resources necessary to ensure their effectiveness, Ingibjörg Sólrún Gísladóttir, Director of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), said today, ahead of the 8 April International Roma Day...

A five-day training course on human rights education concluded on 6 April 2018 in Sarob, near Dushanbe.

On the occasion of International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action, Tajikistan’s National Mine Action Centre (TNMAC) and the OSCE Programme Office in Dushanbe brought together government officials, international and national state organizations, the donor community and NGOs involved in the Tajikistan Mine Action Programme on 4 April 2018 in Dushanbe...

An international conference entitled "The Role of Women from the Sectors of Security, Law and Order in the Sustainable Development of Regions" was organized by the Kyrgyz Association of Women in the Security Sector in co-operation with the OSCE Programme Office in Bishkek on 30 March 2018 in Bishkek.

VIENNA, 6 April 2018 –OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Harlem Désir today welcomed the release of the head of the Internet TV channel Kanal 13 in Azerbaijan...

At 12:14 on 5 April, an SMM patrol consisting of six members and two armoured vehicles was stationary, preparing for a scheduled flight of its mid-range unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) while positioned on road H15, 2km east of a checkpoint of the armed formations east of Kreminets (non-government controlled, 16km south-west of Donetsk). Just before that, a blue Lada car (with plates AA237 and with “police” markings in Russian) travelling west to east turned around towards the SMM. Three men (one in camouflage clothing, two in blue police-type attire) then emerged from the car, each carrying an assault rifle (AK-variant, hanging down over their shoulders), and approached the patrol. The man in camouflage clothing introduced himself (in Russian) as a “commander of a special unit”. He said it was a “no-fly zone” and that they were not informed of the SMM’s activities with the UAV. The SMM explained the mandate of the Mission and its activities, including the operation of UAVs.

The SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and more in Luhansk region, compared with the previous reporting period. The Mission confirmed a civilian casualty in Donetsk city. Small arms were fired in areas where SMM mini-unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) were flying near Novoselivka and near Shevchenko. The SMM long-range UAV experienced jamming. The Mission continued monitoring the disengagement areas near Stanytsia Luhanska, Zolote and Petrivske, and recorded ceasefire violations near, but outside, the Stanytsia Luhanska disengagement area. Its access remained restricted in all three disengagement areas and at a border crossing point near Dovzhanske near the border with the Russian Federation in Luhansk region, outside government control.* The SMM observed a weapon in violation of withdrawal lines near Oknyne in Luhansk region, as well as weapons beyond withdrawal lines but outside designated storage sites on both sides of the contact line. The SMM continued to facilitate and monitor repairs to the Petrivske pumping station near Artema and a water pipeline near Zaitseve. In Kyiv, the Mission monitored a gathering in front of the Ombudsperson’s office. The SMM followed up on reports of an incident at a church building in Rivne region and of a robbery at a church building in Kadiivka.

VIENNA, 5 April 2018 – OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Harlem Désir today criticized the temporary detention of journalists and editors from Ratel.kz and Forbes Kazakhstan, and the blocking of the Ratel.kz webpage in Kazakhstan...

COPENHAGEN, 5 April 2018 – The OSCE Parliamentary Assembly is deploying a mission of observers to Azerbaijan next week for the presidential election on 11 April. Nilza de Sena (MP, Portugal) will serve as Special Co-ordinator and leader of the 300-plus short-term OSCE observer mission, while Margret Kiener Nellen (MP, Switzerland) will serve as head of the OSCE PA delegation of some 40 members of parliament from more than 20 countries.

MINSK, 5 April 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 4 April 2018:...

An OSCE-supported two-day workshop on the temporary admission of goods under Istanbul’s 1990 Convention and the practical application of the Carnet ATA (Admission Temporaire/Temporary Admission) system concluded on 5 April 2018 in Almaty, Kazakhstan.

KYIV, 4 April 2018 – The OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine (SMM) will hold its regular news briefing on Thursday, 5 April, in Kyiv.

KYIV, 4 April 2018 – Today, as the world marks International Mine Awareness Day, the Chief Monitor of the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine, Ertugrul Apakan, and the OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Ukraine, Vaidotas Verba, highlighted the importance of mine action in eastern Ukraine...

The SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and a similar number in Luhansk region, compared with the previous reporting period. The Mission continued monitoring the disengagement areas near Stanytsia Luhanska, Zolote and Petrivske; it recorded ceasefire violations outside the Stanytsia Luhanska disengagement area. Its access remained restricted in all three disengagement areas and 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 near Anadol. The Mission observed for the first time anti-tank mines near Starohnativka. The SMM continued to facilitate access for workers to and from the Donetsk Filtration Station; it also facilitated repairs to the Petrivske pumping station near Artema and to a water pipeline near Zaitseve. In Kyiv, the Mission monitored a march in the city centre...

A two-day training course for lawyers on helping victims of torture and their relatives to pursue moral compensation concluded on 31 March 2018 at the new Office of the Union of Lawyers of Tajikistan.

A two-day training course on practical views and ideas for addressing gender stereotypes and mentorship programmes for men gender champions concluded on 29 March 2018 at the OSCE Programme Office in Dushanbe.

The SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations in Donetsk and Luhansk regions between the evenings of 30 and 31 March, compared with the previous reporting period. Between the evenings of 31 March and 1 April, it recorded fewer ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and a similar number of ceasefire violations in Luhansk region, compared with the previous 24 hours. Between the evenings of 1 and 2 April, it recorded more ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and fewer in Luhansk region, compared with the previous 24 hours. The SMM observed damage to civilian properties caused by gunfire in Dokuchaievsk. The Mission continued monitoring the disengagement areas near Stanytsia Luhanska, Zolote and Petrivske; it observed ceasefire violations inside the Petrivske disengagement area and near the Stanytsia Luhanska disengagement area. Its access remained restricted in all three disengagement areas, as well as, again, in border areas near Izvaryne, Leonove, Sievernyi, Voznesenivka (near the border with the Russian Federation), at a checkpoint near Popasna and in Novohryhorivka.* The SMM observed weapons in violation of withdrawal lines on both sides of the contact line. The Mission observed for the first time anti-tank mines near Zaitseve and Sosnivske. The SMM continued to facilitate access for workers to and from the Donetsk Filtration Station; it also facilitated repairs to the Petrivske pumping station near Artema and to a water pipeline near Maiorsk. The SMM monitored the administrative boundary line in Kherson region and a gathering in Bila Krynytsia, Chernivtsi region. In Kyiv, the Mission continued to monitor a group of people near the entrance to a television station.

Strengthening the capacity of government officials from Tajikistan to counter terrorist financing was the aim of a two-day train-the-trainers course organized by the OSCE’s Transnational Threats Department, the OSCE Programme Office in Dushanbe and the UN Office on Drugs and Crime's Global Programme against Money Laundering, on 29 and 30 March 2018 in Vienna...

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. On 29 March 2018 the seventy-third Russian convoy of 16 vehicles crossed into Ukraine and returned back to the Russian Federation through the Donetsk BCP.

VIENNA, 3 April 2018 – OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Harlem Désir today condemned the recent bomb attack outside a journalist’s house in Montenegro...

PARIS, 3 April 2018- Today the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Harlem Désir, welcomed the launch by Reporters Without Borders and its Secretary General Christophe Deloire, the Agence France-Presse (AFP), the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and the Global Editors Network (GEN) of a new self-regulation initiative to counter disinformation online and enhance transparency and trust in the media...

The Ministry of Economy of Kyrgyzstan together with the OSCE Programme Office in Bishkek and the Centre for Non-proliferation and Export Control are conducting a training course on export control and non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction on 3 and 4 April 2018 in Bishkek...

Following a recommitment to the ceasefire, the SMM recorded a similar number of ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and fewer in Luhansk region compared with the previous reporting period. Three SMM unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) were fired at in non-government-controlled areas. The SMM continued monitoring the disengagement areas near Stanytsia Luhanska, Zolote and Petrivske, where it observed calm situations. Its access remained restricted in all three disengagement areas and at the Chervona Mohyla railway station near Voznesenivka and at a border crossing point near Voznesenivka (both close to the border with the Russian Federation in Luhansk region), as well as to Novohryhorivka and Verkhnoshyrokivske.* The SMM observed weapons in violation of withdrawal lines in Luhansk city, Topolyne and Berkhivka. The Mission continued to facilitate access for workers to and from the Donetsk Filtration Station. The SMM also facilitated repairs to the Petrivske pumping station near Artema. In Kyiv, the Mission continued to monitor a group of people blocking the entrance to a television station.

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 and observed ceasefire violations assessed as outside the disengagement areas in Stanytsia Luhanska and Zolote. Its access remained restricted in all three disengagement areas and in Luhansk city, Verkhnoshyrokivske, Staropetrivske and at a border crossing point in Izvaryne, close to the border with the Russian Federation in Luhansk region.* The SMM observed weapons in violation of withdrawal lines near Svitlodarsk, Mykolaivka, Khrustalnyi, and Luhansk city and over 60 anti-tank mines on road M-03 between Svitlodarsk and Nyzhnie Lozove. The Mission continued to facilitate access for workers to and from the Donetsk Filtration Station. Its unmanned aerial vehicle was fired upon while flying near the station.

Identifying next steps in improving access to identity and civil registration documents for Roma in Ukraine was the focus of an expert meeting organized by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) on 29 March 2018 in Kyiv.

The SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations in both Donetsk and Luhansk regions compared with the previous reporting period. The Mission observed damage caused by gunfire to civilian properties in residential areas of Sakhanka and Horlivka, where it also followed up on reports of a civilian casualty. The SMM saw a de-miner injured by an explosion near the Donetsk Filtration Station. The SMM continued monitoring the disengagement areas near Stanytsia Luhanska, Zolote and Petrivske; it recorded ceasefire violations in the Petrivske disengagement area and observed a soldier carrying a weapon inside the Zolote disengagement area. Its access remained restricted in all three disengagement areas and elsewhere. The SMM observed weapons in violation of withdrawal lines near Vodiane and Bohoiavlenka. The Mission continued to facilitate access for workers to and from the Donetsk Filtration Station; it also facilitated repairs to the Petrivske pumping station near Artema and to power lines near Semyhiria. In Kyiv, the SMM saw a makeshift memorial outside the Embassy of the Russian Federation honouring the victims of the shopping mall fire in Kemerovo in the Russian Federation...

KYIV, 29 March 2018 – Alexander Hug, the Principal Deputy Chief Monitor of the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine (SMM), will hold a news briefing on Friday via video link from eastern Ukraine.

On 29 March 2018 at 06:50 (Moscow time), the seventy-third Russian convoy arrived at the Donetsk Border Crossing Point (BCP). A total of 16 vehicles were checked by the Russian border guards and customs services prior to their crossing into Ukraine. All 16 vehicles had crossed back into the Russian Federation by 14:26 on 29 March.

TASHKENT, 29 March 2018 – The OSCE Special Representative and Co-ordinator for Combating Trafficking in Human Beings, Madina Jarbussynova, today concluded a four-day high-level visit to Uzbekistan. The aim of the trip was to discuss the country’s progress in implementing OSCE anti-trafficking commitments since the OSCE Special Representative’s previous visit in November 2013.

VIENNA, 29 March 2018 – The closure of the Özgürlükçü Demokrasi newspaper and appointing a trustee to head it is a major attack on the independence of this media outlet and another setback to media pluralism in Turkey, said Harlem Désir, OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, today following yesterday’s police raid on the newspaper’s office...

An OSCE-supported five-day cross-border training seminar on risk profiling at border checkpoints, which began in Karasu, Kazakhstan on 26 March 2018, is nearing conclusion.

Some 45 representatives from Kazakhstan’s Energy Ministry, international organizations and civil society sector gathered for an OSCE-supported roundtable discussion on revising the country’s Environmental Code on 29 March 2018 in Astana...

A two-day seminar organized by the OSCE Programme Office in Astana on the legal acts and mechanisms regulating the police’s work in combating domestic violence concluded on 29 March 2018 in Petropavlovsk, Kazakhstan...

ROME, VIENNA, 28 March 2018 –– In light of the 26 March events in northern Kosovo and subsequent developments, the OSCE Chairmanship-in-Office and the OSCE Secretary General call on all sides to refrain from provocations and re-engage in constructive dialogue.

The Head of the OSCE Mission to Skopje, Ambassador Nina Suomalainen, and the President of the Association of Journalists (AJM) Naser Selmani signed today in Skopje a memorandum of understanding, which envisages the organization of a series of activities aiming to improve the safety of journalists and to promote freedom of the media...

Skopje, 28 March 2018 –The first 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 Skopje today. 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 OSCE’s field operations in South-Eastern Europe.

BRČKO, Bosnia and Herzegovina, 28 March 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 Brčko.

KYIV, 28 March 2018- The OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine (SMM) today re-introduced the use of long-range unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), which will operate over Donetsk and Luhansk regions...

GENEVA, Switzerland, 28 March 2018- The 43rd round of the Geneva International Discussions has just concluded...

The SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and more in Luhansk region compared with the previous reporting period. The SMM observed damage caused by shelling to civilian properties in residential areas of Sakhanka. The SMM continued monitoring the disengagement areas near Stanytsia Luhanska, Zolote and Petrivske; it recorded ceasefire violations near the Stanytsia Luhanska disengagement area and spotted military hardware, as well as previously seen mines inside the Petrivske disengagement area. Its access remained restricted in all three disengagement areas and elsewhere, including at border crossing points near Dovzhanske, Izvaryne, Sievernyi, and to Siedove (all close to the border with the Russian Federation), as well as to a heavy weapons holding area in a non-government-controlled area of Donetsk region. The SMM observed weapons in violation of withdrawal lines near Lozuvatske, Pidlisne and Sievierodonetsk. The Mission continued to facilitate access for workers to and from the Donetsk Filtration Station; it facilitated maintenance works to the Petrivske pumping station near Artema. In Kharkiv, the SMM saw flowers and candles laid outside the Consulate of the Russian Federation to commemorate the victims of the shopping mall fire in Kemerovo in the Russian Federation...

Some 100 anti-money laundering and counter-terrorist financing prosecutors and judges from 43 states and organizations came together in Strasbourg, France on 26 and 27 March 2018 for a workshop organized by the Strategic Police Matters Unit of the OSCE Transnational Threats Department, the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) and the Council of Europe's MONEYVAL monitoring body...

CHISINAU, 28 March 2018 – Franco Frattini completed his first visit to Moldova today in his capacity as the Special Representative of the Italian OSCE Chairperson-in-Office for the Transdniestrian Settlement Process. Meeting with high-level Moldovan officials and the leadership in Tiraspol, Frattini discussed ways to advance the settlement process within the parameters of the agreed end state endorsed by all 57 OSCE participating States, including the Republic of Moldova...

The SMM recorded more ceasefire violations in Donetsk and Luhansk regions compared with the previous 24 hours. The Mission continued monitoring the disengagement areas near Stanytsia Luhanska, Zolote and Petrivske; it recorded ceasefire violations inside the Petrivske disengagement area. Its access remained restricted in all three disengagement areas and elsewhere, including, again, at a border crossing point near Izvaryne (near the border with the Russian Federation), at a checkpoint near Nova Marivka and at compound in Zymohiria.* The SMM observed a weapon in violation of withdrawal lines in Pobeda. The Mission continued to facilitate access for workers to and from the Donetsk Filtration Station; it facilitated maintenance works to the Petrivske pumping station near Artema. The SMM followed up on reports of a fire at the Polish cultural centre Poska Nuta in Odessa and reports of damage to a building where the regional office of a political party is located in Dnipro.

VIENNA/PRISHTINË/PRIŠTINA, 27 March 2018- The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Harlem Désir, and the Head of the OSCE Mission in Kosovo, Ambassador Jan Braathu, expressed deep concern today for the safety of journalists reporting on the police intervention in Mitrovica/Mitrovicë North on 26 March.

VIENNA, 28 March 2018 – OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Harlem Désir today wrote to Foreign Minister of Tajikistan Sirodjidin Aslov, calling for the removal of 14 journalists’ names from a “list of people wanted for serious crimes, including connections with terrorists”.

VIENNA, 27 March 2018 – The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Harlem Désir, in a letter to the authorities of Turkmenistan recently presented a commentary on the national law “On Television and Radio Broadcasting”, which was adopted on 5 January...