News and press releases

ASTANA, 18 April 2016 – An OSCE-supported three-day training seminar for some 30 officials from the law enforcement agencies and academia on responsible project management began today in Astana...

LEINSWEILER, 17 April 2016 – Members of Parliament from 15 countries gathered in the French-German border region on 16 and 17 April to consider parliamentary contributions to OSCE efforts in addressing conflicts. Some 25 parliamentarians, including from several countries impacted by protracted conflicts, heard presentations from experts on reconciliation processes particularly in the Saar-Lor-Lux and Tyrol-South Tyrol-Trentino regions...

The SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations in Donetsk region compared to the previous day. In Luhansk region the SMM recorded a similar number of ceasefire violations compared to the previous day. The SMM followed up on allegations of shelling in an area near the contact line. It observed weapons in the security zone, and noted that weapons were absent from storage sites. The Mission monitored two border areas not controlled by the Government. The SMM monitored a peaceful protest in Odessa...

SMM observed a marked increase in violence during this reporting period with over 4,000 ceasefire violations through the Donetsk region, 500 of which were explosions. The major hotspots of Avdiivka/Yasynuvata accounted for more than half of these ceasefire violations. In Luhansk the Mission noted fewer ceasefire violations compared with the previous day. The SMM observed weapons in the security zone, and noted that weapons were absent from storage sites. The Mission observed long queues of civilians and vehicles waiting to cross at checkpoints. The SMM encountered a restriction of its freedom of movement in an area not controlled by the Government...

VIENNA, 15 April 2016 – OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Dunja Mijatović today expressed concern about the decision in Germany to prosecute a satirist who derided the President of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan...

KYIV, 15 April 2016 – Ertugrul Apakan, Chief Monitor of the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine (SMM), expressed today his dismay at a sharp increase in fighting in the east of the country. On 14 April the number of ceasefire violations recorded by the SMM exceeded 4,000, with over 500 of them being explosions. The most acute deterioration was seen in the Avdiivka-Yasynuvata area in the Donetsk region, with high numbers of explosions caused by proscribed weapons...

VIENNA, 15 April 2016 – OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Dunja Mijatović expressed concern today about the state of Internet freedom in Turkey, following the blocking of the Russian news agency Sputnik’s website in the country...