News and press releases

International standards and best practices on the independence of the judiciary in the context of criminal justice are the focus of an OSCE-supported series of three two-day seminars that started in Dashoguz on 15 December 2017 and will be continued in Mary until 18 December. The concluding seminar will be held in January 2018 in Ashgabat.

BISHKEK, 15 December 2017- A six-day training course aimed at strengthening the capacity of government officials from the Kyrgyz Republic to disrupt the financing of terrorist networks, including practical sessions on how to use sanctions pursuant to UN Security Council Resolutions (UNSCR) 1267,1988,1989,2253,2255, 2368 was held from 10 to 15 December 2017 in Bishkek.

Effective mechanisms for responding to natural disasters and emergencies were the focus of a seminar organized by the OSCE for members of the State Commission for Emergency Situations of Turkmenistan and representatives of other relevant bodies held in Ashgabat on 14 and 15 December 2017.

A three-day training course organized by the OSCE Programme Office in Dushanbe on raising awareness of human trafficking and identifying and assisting victims concluded on 13 December 2017 in Dushanbe.

The Programme Office in Bishkek supported a one-month training course aimed at improving the skills of the staff of Kyrgyzstan’s State Commission on Religious Affairs (SCRA) in promoting gender equality. The training sessions for SCRA staff course took place from 8 November to 6 December 2017 in Bishkek...

International co-operation in the management of temporarily seized assets was the focus of a two-day training course organized by the OSCE Mission to Montenegro for the Property Directorate Department for Seized and Confiscated Assets in Podgorica on 14 and 15 December 2017...

STOCKHOLM, 14 December 2017 – The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Harlem Désir, during his visit to Stockholm, discussed media freedom challenges in Sweden and the OSCE region...

The SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations in Donetsk region, but more in Luhansk region, compared with the previous reporting period. The SMM heard artillery fire and saw muzzle flashes less than 500m from the SMM’s forward patrol base in government-controlled Popasna (see SMM Spot Report 13 December 2017). The Mission continued monitoring the disengagement areas near Stanytsia Luhanska, Zolote and Petrivske; it recorded ceasefire violations in the Petrivske disengagement area. Its access remained restricted in the disengagement areas and elsewhere. The SMM assessed impact sites in residential areas of Kadiivka and Pervomaisk. It followed up on reports of a casualty in Luhansk city. It facilitated and monitored repairs and maintenance of essential infrastructure in Zalizne, Betmanove and Artema. The SMM visited two areas of the border outside of government control...

OSCE Mission to Moldova organised a study visit to Georgia for a group of six young journalists from both banks of the Dniester/Nistru River on 5-8 December 2017. During the two-day trip they learned about how investigative reporting projects work in practice, as well as about the local media environment and legal framework.

The annual OSCE-supported International Youth Legal Forum, which is held in recognition of the Human Rights Day and was dedicated to mechanisms of human rights protection this year, concluded on 14 December 2017 in Astana, Kazakhstan.

BISHKEK, 14 December 2017- An agreement in which Switzerland commits to allocate CHF 430,000 (approximately EUR 370,000) in support of the OSCE Academy in Bishkek over the next three years was signed by the Swiss Ambassador to Kyrgyzstan, Véronique Hulmann and the Head of the OSCE Programme Office in Bishkek, Pierre von Arx on 14 December 2017 in Bishkek. The grant will be used to strengthen the Academy’s research capacities.

A workshop on how to establish an Advance Passenger Information (API) System in Skopje, aimed at preventing the movement of foreign terrorist fighters and combating terrorism and transnational crime, was organized by the OSCE Transnational Threats Department’s Border Security and Management Unit (TNTD/BSMU) in Skopje from 12 to 14 December 2017.

A two-week advanced train-the-trainer course for ten Ukrainian border control officers took place from 4 to 14 December 2017 in Cherkasy, Ukraine. Organized by the Border Security and Management Unit of the OSCE’s Transnational Threats Department (TNTD/BSMU), the course aimed to develop the officers’ knowledge about fraudulent documents and their teachings skills for delivering such training courses themselves in the future.

Building the capacity of prospective youth applicants on how to plan and implement intercultural exchanges in response to the Regional Youth Co-operation Office’s (RYCO) call for proposals was the focus of a three-day training course organized by the OSCE Mission to Montenegro from 11 to 13 December.

The annual Security Policy Course, which gathered 30 officials from governmental institutions, police, armed forces, parliaments and representatives of civil society and academia in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), concluded on 14 December 2017 in Sarajevo. The course was organized by the OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina in co-operation with the Council of Ministers’ Inter-Ministerial Working Group for BiH Security Policy Implementation...

Regional youth co-operation, the digital engagement of young people, and societal changes and opportunities enabled by the generation of young people commonly referred to as millennials were the focus of an international conference held in Belgrade on 13 and 14 December 2017...

VIENNA, 13 December 2017 – Following prosecution’s demand for life sentences and court decisions to continue the detention of several journalists facing life in prison, the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Harlem Désir today repeated his call for Turkey to release imprisoned journalists...

Some 100 high-level officials from the region dealing with the fight against corruption and senior representatives of Serbian institutions, civil society organizations and the media gathered for a regional conference in Belgrade on 14 December 2017 to mark the International Anti-Corruption Day.

Updating a handbook created to assist OSCE participating States in establishing sustainable mechanisms and structures to counter human trafficking was the focus of a high-level international expert meeting organized by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) in Warsaw

VIENNA, 14 December 2017 – The decision by Poland’s National Broadcasting Council (KRRiT) to impose a fine of 1.48 million Polish Złotys (€352,000) on one of the country’s leading private independent broadcasters, TVN SA, for coverage by one of its channels, TVN24, of opposition demonstrations in Warsaw in December 2016 is unjustified and disproportionate, the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Harlem Désir said today...

On 13 December at 00:05, while at its forward patrol base on the northern edge of government-controlled Popasna (69km west of Luhansk), the SMM heard ten explosions assessed as outgoing artillery fire 200-500m west to west-north-west, and smelt propellant. SMM staff (consisting of five monitoring officers, a paramedic and a language assistant) at the forward patrol base immediately entered the base’s basement shelter. At 00:36, one of the monitoring officers left the shelter to assess the security situation and heard three explosions assessed as outgoing artillery fire and saw three muzzle flashes 200-500m west to west-north-west. A representative of the military-civil administration in Popasna then told the SMM by telephone about heavy shelling occurring near Popasna and recommended it to remain in the shelter. The Mission noted that shelling ceased at 01:20 and then resumed from 01:45 until 02:20. Between 00:05 and 02:20, the SMM, while in the shelter, heard approximately 60 undetermined explosions at an undetermined distance and direction...

Election experts from the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) met with electoral stakeholders in Sofia on 12 and 13 December 2017 to present the  final report  of ODIHR’s limited election observation mission for the 26 March 2017 early parliamentary elections in

GENEVA, Switzerland, 13 December 2017- The 42nd round of the Geneva International Discussions has just concluded...

The SMM recorded a similar number of 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 from Dokuchaievsk. The SMM observed damage to a powerline in Avdiivka resulting in a lack of electricity in central Avdiivka. The SMM continued monitoring the disengagement areas near Stanytsia Luhanska, Zolote and Petrivske and recorded ceasefire violations near all three. Its access remained restricted there and elsewhere, including near Debaltseve and Kozatske.* The SMM saw weapons in violation of withdrawal lines near Miusynsk. The Mission facilitated and monitored repairs and maintenance of essential infrastructure near Artema and Zalizne. The SMM visited four border areas outside of government control...

The development of local-level strategy documents for the handling of environmental matters – so-called Local Environmental Action Plans (LEAPs) – was the focus of a two-day workshop organized by the OSCE Mission to Montenegro in Podgorica on 7 and 8 December. LEAPs have the objective of enabling municipal authorities to handle environmental matters for which they are responsible in a more effective, sustainable and transparent manner.

OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities (HCNM) Lamberto Zannier visited Ukraine from 11 to 13 December 2017 to discuss issues related to national minorities and discuss opportunities for the HCNM and the government to work together on promoting diversity in different policy areas. In Kyiv,

A fourth regional working meeting for the joint border police patrol border guards of Albania and Montenegro, organized by the OSCE Mission to Montenegro in co-operation with the OSCE Presence in Albania, the Montenegrin Interior Ministry’s Border Police and the Border and Migration Police of the Republic of Albania, took place on 11 December 2017 in Kolašin, Montenegro.

A study visit for high level Tajik state officials to Belgrade was organized by the OSCE Programme Office in Dushanbe in co-operation with the OSCE Mission to Serbia from 6 to 10 December 2017. A group of ten representatives from various state institutions such as the national parliament, the Presidential Office, the General Prosecutor’s Office, the Committee on Women and Family Affairs and several ministries took part in the visit.

The OSCE Mission to Montenegro organized a conference, on 11 and 12 December 2017 in Podgorica, to mark ten years of co-operation between the Montenegrin Ministry of Human and Minority Rights, municipalities and the Mission in developing programmes to support gender equality in municipalities across the country, as formalized through a series of memoranda of understandings...

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 compared to the previous week...

Ways to reform the Ukrainian police education system were explored during a two-day conference in Kyiv organized by the OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Ukraine in co-operation with Ukraine’s Interior Ministry and the Ukrainian National Police on 11-12 December 2017...

A study tour to the international airports of Moscow was organized by the OSCE Programme Office in Dushanbe for 15 representatives of Tajik Border Troops from 4 to 7 December 2017.

An OSCE-supported two-week train-the-trainer event for twenty-four officers from the Tajik Border Troops concluded on 8 December 2017.

The SMM recorded more ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and fewer in Luhansk region compared with the previous 24 hours. In Chermalyk, the Mission saw damage to civilian properties in residential areas caused by shelling and gunfire. The SMM continued monitoring the disengagement areas near Stanytsia Luhanska, Zolote and Petrivske; it recorded ceasefire violations near the Zolote and Petrivske disengagement areas. Its access remained restricted in the disengagement areas and elsewhere, including at a checkpoint near Verkhnoshyrokivske.* The SMM followed up media reports that Mospyne was cordoned off and observed that the entrances to the town were blocked by armed persons. The Mission observed long queues at the entry-exit checkpoint near Stanytsia Luhanska. It facilitated and monitored repairs and maintenance of essential infrastructure near Artema. The SMM visited one border area outside of government control. In Kyiv, the Mission monitored the security situation in front of a detention centre and a court building...

BELGRADE, 12 December 2017 – At a ceremony today in Belgrade, the OSCE Mission to Serbia presented its Person of the Year Awards to: Dženeta Agović, Director of the Impuls civil society organization from Tutin; Brankica Janković, Commissioner for the Protection of Equality; Tamara Mirović, Deputy Republic Public Prosecutor; Nedim Sejdinović, President of the Independent Association of Journalists of Vojvodina; and Miloš Stojković, media lawyer...

SARAJEVO, 12 December 2017- Today we mark international anti-corruption day. Corruption remains one of the main threats to securing a prosperous future for Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH). The citizens of BiH have the basic human right to live in a corruption-free society. Corruption-free public institutions are needed to restore trust, improve governmental services, attract investors and remove barriers to economic development.

Ensuring equal access to decision-making for persons with disabilities, youth and women was the focus of an event co-organized by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), the OSCE Programme Office in Bishkek and other partners in Bishkek on 12 December 2017. Over 50

VIENNA, 12 December 2017 – Best practices in renewable energy and energy efficiency in Central Asia were the focus of a two-day expert workshop that ended with a site visit to a waste heat incineration plant today in Vienna. The workshop was organized by the Office of the Co-ordinator of OSCE Economic and Environmental Activities in close co-operation with the Joint Research Centre of the European Union...

Strengthening chemical safety and security in Ukraine, and how to establish and operate a national reference centre for the identification of chemicals were in focus at an international workshop organized by the OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Ukraine on 11 December 2017 in close co-operation with the OSCE Conflict Prevention Centre and the Research Centre for Preventive Toxicology, Food and Chemical Safety of Ukraine’s Health Ministry...

SARAJEVO, 12 December 2017- For the first time, the OSCE Head of Mission Bruce G. Berton, United States Ambassador Maureen Cormack, and the Head of European Union Delegation and EU Special Representative Ambassador Lars-Gunnar Wigemark jointly addressed the Conference of Education Ministers in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) today in Sarajevo...

SARAJEVO, 12 December 2017 – The OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina marked the successful completion of the War Crimes Capacity Building Project at a ceremony in Sarajevo today. The project was a part of the OSCE Mission’s long-standing support to the development of the judiciary and its capacity to process war crimes cases...

A two-day sub-regional training on the role of cyber/ICT in the context of regional and international security, organized by the OSCE Transnational Threats Department in co-operation with the OSCE Programme Office in Astana, is taking place on 12-13 December 2017 in Astana.

An OSCE-supported five-day regional seminar for expert-evaluators of member countries of the Eurasian Group on Combating Money Laundering and Terrorism Financing (EAG) started on 11 December 2017 in Tashkent.

VIENNA, 11 December 2017 – The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Harlem Désir today opened the panel discussion on the challenges to media freedom caused by the impunity for murders of journalists...

The SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations in Donetsk and Luhansk regions between the evenings of 8 and 9 December compared with the previous reporting period. The SMM recorded more ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and a similar number in Luhansk region between the evenings of 9 and 10 December compared with the previous 24 hours. The SMM followed up on reports of a civilian casualty and assessed damage to civilian properties in Dokuchaievsk. The Mission continued monitoring the disengagement areas near Stanytsia Luhanska, Zolote and Petrivske; it recorded ceasefire violations inside the Zolote disengagement area. Its access remained restricted in the disengagement areas and elsewhere, including at a checkpoint near Horlivka.* The SMM facilitated and monitored repairs to the broken wooden ramps at the Stanytsia Luhanska bridge. The SMM monitored the situation at checkpoints in Zolote. It facilitated and monitored repairs and maintenance of essential infrastructure near Berezove. The SMM visited four border areas outside of government control. In Kyiv, it monitored a peaceful march in the city centre.

The OSCE Mission to Montenegro contributed to the global campaign on 16 Days of Activism against Gender Based Violence by supporting four public discussions with students from six Montenegrin schools.

OSCE-supported public hearings on the management of public assemblies and ways to increase the level of trust between law enforcement and citizens took place at Kazakhstan’s Interior Ministry in Astana on 8 December 2017...

An OSCE-supported international conference on modern anti-corruption standards and international co-operation took place on 8 December 2017 in Astana.

An OSCE-supported five-day training seminar on countering sexual crimes against children in cyberspace concluded on 8 December 2017 in Almaty, Kazakhstan.

The Head of the OSCE Programme Office in Astana, Ambassador György Szabó, received a certificate of appreciation for the promotion of human rights in Kazakhstan on 7 December 2017.