News and press releases

The SMM recorded a higher level of violence in Donetsk and Luhansk regions compared with both 16 and 17 April. The Mission followed up on allegations of shelling in areas near the contact line. It noted weapons in violation of withdrawal lines and others absent from storage sites. The SMM facilitated and monitored adherence to the ceasefire to enable repairs to essential infrastructure. It observed long queues at checkpoints along the contact line. The Mission monitored one border area outside government control and was denied access to another. The SMM’s freedom of movement was restricted further in areas not controlled by the Government, including access to a site known as a heavy weapons holding area. The SMM was threatened by armed men in areas outside of Government control...

TUZLA, Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), 19 April 2016 – The OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina, in co-operation with the Faculty of Law of the University of Tuzla, completed a series of lectures for students today on the work of the judicial and prosecutorial authorities in BiH in the fields of hate crimes, human trafficking, and processing war crimes cases...

VIENNA, 19 April 2016 – OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Dunja Mijatović today expressed concern about the intimidation of journalist Nikolay Semena in Crimea, Ukraine...

Twenty-one law students and three consultants from the National Legal Aid Council took part in a training event organized by the OSCE Mission to Moldova from 14 to 16 April 2016 on delivering primary legal aid to vulnerable persons...

BISHKEK, 19 April 2016 – An OSCE Centre in Bishkek-supported report detailing the protection of human rights within the Kyrgyz Armed Forces and recommendations to the Kyrgyz Government on how to improve the situation was presented in Bishkek today by the Kylym Shamy NGO, the Kyrgyz Ombudsman Office, the National Centre on the Prevention of Torture and the General Staff of the Armed Forces...

ASTANA, 19 April 2016 – An OSCE-supported two-day training seminar on protecting freedom of expression and countering hate speech on the Internet began today in Astana...

The SMM recorded a lower level of violence in Donetsk region over the weekend. In Luhansk region the SMM continued to register ceasefire violations in the area of Stanytsia Luhanska in the evening hours and registered similar numbers of explosions compared to the night of 15 April. The SMM followed up on allegations of shelling in areas near the contact line. It observed weapons in the security zone, and noted that weapons were absent from storage sites. The Mission monitored four areas and was denied access to one area on the border still outside government control. Both sides restricted the SMM’s freedom of movement*. The SMM saw a Ukrainian Armed Forces checkpoint had been moved 3km closer to a “DPR” position...