News and press releases

COPENHAGEN, 24 November 2017 – In his first address as OSCE Parliamentary Assembly President, Georgian parliamentarian George Tsereteli spoke today at the Standing Committee meeting of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) in Copenhagen. Noting the role that the OSCE and Council of Europe have historically played in the transformation of Europe, President Tsereteli urged continued dialogue and a creative approach to strengthen international co-operation...

PODGORICA, 24 November 2017- On the occasion of tomorrow’s International Day to End Violence against Women, the OSCE Mission to Montenegro and the Montenegrin Ministry for Human and Minority Rights issued a joint statement condemning all instances of gender-based violence:...

KYIV, 24 November 2017 – As the world is set to mark tomorrow’s International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, it is vitally important to recognize the link between violence against women and armed conflict, said Ambassador Ertugrul Apakan, Chief Monitor of the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine, and Ambassador Vaidotas Verba, OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Ukraine, today in Kyiv.

The responsibility of others in protecting children’s physical, moral and mental development, as well as children’s upbringing to guard them against the harmful media and internet content s was the focus of the first day of the two-day Western Balkans Regional Conference – Protect and Respect – Safeguarding Human Rights. The Conference is organized by the OSCE Mission to Montenegro, in partnership with Agency for Electronic Media and Office for the Protection of Human Rights of Montenegro, on 23 and 24 November 2017 in Podgorica.

The SMM continued to see the presence of at least 100 armed persons as well as of vehicles, including armoured personnel carriers, in Luhansk city centre. The Mission recorded fewer ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and a similar number in Luhansk region compared with the previous reporting period. The SMM continued monitoring the disengagement areas; it recorded a ceasefire violation inside the Petrivske disengagement area, outside the reporting period. Its access remained restricted in the disengagement areas and elsewhere, including again near Kreminets and in Luhansk city.* The Mission facilitated and monitored repairs of power lines in Betmanove. The SMM continued to monitor the situation of civilians travelling across the contact line. It visited a border area not under government control in Donetsk region. The SMM monitored a gathering in Kyiv....

MOSCOW, 23 November 2017 – During his visit to Moscow, the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Harlem Désir expressed deep concern about the media freedom situation in the Russian Federation.

Increasing responses to sexual and gender-based violence in Ukraine was the topic of a capacity building event, co-organized by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), bringing together police educators and officers from across the country in Kyiv on 22 and 23 November 2017.

On 23 November 2017 at 06:35 (Moscow time), the sixty-ninth Russian convoy arrived at the Donetsk Border Crossing Point (BCP). A total of 20 vehicles were checked by the Russian border guards and customs services prior to their crossing into Ukraine. All 20 vehicles had crossed back into the Russian Federation by 14:40 on 23 November....

The first nationwide Ukrainian Women’s Congress, organized by the Equal Opportunities Caucus of the country’s parliament with support from the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) and other partners, took place in Kyiv on 22 and 23 November 2017.

The last in a series of four OSCE-supported training seminars for representatives of the government, civil society and judiciary on human rights protection mechanisms in Kazakhstan was completed on 23 November 2017, in the Atyrau region.

ASTANA, 23 November 2017 – The development of legislation and law enforcement practices related to religious activities was the focus of an OSCE-supported roundtable discussion held in Astana on 22 November 2017.

On 21 November and 22 November, the SMM saw that an area in Luhansk city, with radius of up to approximately to 600m from 38 Lunacharskoho Street, was cordoned off (see SMM Daily Report 22 November 2017). On both days, inside the cordoned-off area, the SMM saw about 100 unidentified armed persons, most of them masked (or hiding their faces) and wearing white tape stripes on both arms. In the same area, the SMM also saw four stationary armoured personnel carriers (APC) (one at each location) in Kotelnykova (BTR-variant), Lermontova Street (BTR-variant), Kotelnykova Street (BTR-80), and at Polskoho Street (BTR-70)...

The SMM saw about 150 armed persons and about 30 vehicles, including armoured personnel carriers, in Luhansk city centre, as well as a convoy of military-type armoured vehicles, trucks and armed men near Debaltseve and subsequently near Vesela Tarasivka. The Mission recorded fewer ceasefire violations in both Donetsk and Luhansk regions compared with the previous reporting period. The SMM continued monitoring the disengagement areas; it recorded ceasefire violations inside the Petrivske disengagement area. Its access remained restricted in the disengagement areas and elsewhere, including near Volnovakha and Kreminets.* The SMM saw weapons in violation on both sides of the contact line. The Mission facilitated and monitored repairs and maintenance of essential infrastructure in Zalizne, Betmanove, Vesela Hora and Shchastia, and near Troitske, Krasnyi Lyman and Artema. The SMM continued to monitor the situation of civilians travelling across the Stanytsia Luhanska bridge. It visited two border areas not under government control. The SMM monitored gatherings in Kyiv, Kherson, Mykolaiv and Chernivtsi....

Enhancing the ability to respect human rights while countering terrorism was the aim of a training course organized by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) for 22 officers from the Albanian State Police Counter-Terrorism Directorate in Tirana on 21 and 22 November

Thirty-five education professionals from teacher training institutions across the OSCE region came together in Lisbon on 21 and 22 November 2017 for a meeting focusing on solutions to the challenges faced by teachers when they address intolerance, bias, prejudice, anti-Semitism and related subjects

YEREVAN, 21 November 2017 – The protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms and the further development of effective measures to counter hate crime are central to preventing discrimination against Christians and members of other religions or beliefs, Armenia’s Foreign Minister and OSCE Officials said today at the official opening of a high-level conference in Yerevan, co-organized by the Austrian 2017 OSCE Chairmanship and the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) with the support of the Armenian Foreign Ministry...

The SMM recorded a similar number of ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and fewer in Luhansk region compared with the previous 24 hours. The Mission continued monitoring the disengagement areas; it recorded ceasefire violations inside the Stanytsia Luhanska and Petrivske disengagement areas. Its access remained restricted in the disengagement areas and elsewhere, including in Siedove near the border with the Russian Federation.* The SMM saw weapons in violation and beyond withdrawal lines in Kalmiuske, and near Buhaivka and Ternove. The SMM facilitated and monitored repairs and maintenance of essential infrastructure in Zalizne, Shchastia, Vesela Hora, and near Krasnyi Lyman. It visited three border areas not under government control. The SMM monitored a peaceful gathering in Odessa...

COPENHAGEN, 21 November 2017 – Ignacio Sanchez Amor (Spain), Chair of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly’s Committee on Democracy, Human Rights and Humanitarian Questions, expressed concern today over the case of Taner Kiliç, Chair of Amnesty International Turkey. Kiliç, accused of being a member of the Fethullah Gülen Terrorist Organization (FETÖ), is set to go to trial Wednesday...

The OSCE Academy in Bishkek, a well-established regional centre for post-graduate education, capacity building and research, worked closely with the OSCE Programme Office in Bishkek in the summer of 2017 to provide additional broad-ranging internship opportunities for its students...

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.

The SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations in Donetsk region between the evenings of 17 and 18 November compared with the previous reporting period and more in Luhansk region. In both regions the SMM recorded more ceasefire violations between the evenings of 18 and 19 November compared with the previous 24 hours. The Mission continued monitoring the disengagement areas; it recorded ceasefire violations near the Petrivske and Zolote disengagement areas. Its access remained restricted in the disengagement areas and elsewhere.* The SMM facilitated and monitored repairs and maintenance of essential infrastructure in Zalizne and Artema. It visited three border areas not under government control. The Mission observed public gatherings in Odessa and Kyiv...

COPENHAGEN, 20 November 2017 – Welcoming the outcomes of the United Nations climate change conference (COP23), which wrapped up Saturday in Bonn, the Chair of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly’s economic and environmental committee today called for a more robust commitment by all OSCE countries to make progress on addressing climate change...

Developing a draft Youth Action Plan for 2018 was the focus of a workshop that was hosted by the Directorate for Youth of the Montenegrin Ministry of Sports and supported by the OSCE Mission to Montenegro on 16-17 November 2017 in Petrovac.

This report is for the media and the general public. The SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and more in Luhansk region compared with the previous reporting period. The Mission continued monitoring the disengagement areas; it recorded ceasefire violations near the Petrivske

SKOPJE, 17 November 2017 – Having successfully overcome the political crisis and the ongoing efforts to implement the reform agenda create a unique opportunity for progress, said OSCE Secretary General Thomas Greminger during a two-day visit to Skopje, which ended today...

The SMM recorded a similar number of ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and more in Luhansk region compared with the previous reporting period. The SMM camera at the Donetsk Filtration Station recorded an explosion close to the camera. The Mission followed up on reports of civilian casualties from Kodema, Hnutove, and Popasna. The Mission continued monitoring the disengagement areas; it recorded ceasefire violations inside the Petrivske disengagement area and near the Stanytsia Luhanska disengagement area. Its access remained restricted in the disengagement areas and elsewhere, including in Kozatske, Verkhnoshyrokivske, and near Leonove, an area close to the border with the Russian Federation, as well as at a checkpoint near Horlivka.* It facilitated and monitored repairs and maintenance of essential infrastructure in Shchastia, Vesela Hora, Raivka and Zalizne. The Mission visited a border area outside of the control of the government...

A three-day conference on the rights of people with disabilities, organized by the civil society organization National Union of People with Disabilities with the support of the UN and the OSCE Programme Office in Dushanbe, concluded in Tajikistan’s capital on 17 November 2017.

Some 30 young people from across South-Eastern Europe gathered together with experts on civic technology, e-governance and related fields in Tirana on 17 November 2017 to explore how new technologies and social media platforms can encourage young peoples’ political participation by creating avenues

The Russian translation of the OSCE Guidebook on Intelligence-Led Policing was published in Vienna on 17 November 2017...

A workshop on the local implementation of UN Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 1325 on Women, Peace and Security, was organized by the OSCE and Inclusive Security in Kyiv on 15-16 November 2017, bringing together 20 experts from regional administrations, national police and civil society organizations from the Volyn, Odessa, Luhansk, Donetsk and Dnipro regions.

VIENNA, 17 November 2017 – The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Harlem Désir today expressed concern about the decision of the Ukrainian authorities to significantly cut the funding of public service broadcaster’s activities...

Vienna, 17 November 2017 –Council of Europe Human Rights Commissioner Nils Muižnieks addressed the OSCE Permanent Council yesterday at the invitation of the Austrian OSCE Chairmanship. The Commissioner underlined the importance of strong co-operation between the two organizations in ensuring that, in addressing many of today’s complex security challenges, Human Rights are safeguarded as a fundamental pillar of democracy.

A team of experts from the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) was in Bosnia and Herzegovina from 13 to 17 November 2017 for a consultation and planning visit as part of the ODIHR project “ Support to Elections in the Western Balkans ”. The ODIHR team met with senior

The OSCE Mission to Moldova facilitated a workshop for 22 law enforcement officers and six public defender lawyers on how to better investigate domestic violence cases and protect the rights of the victims on 16-17 November.

A third Aarhus Centre in Kyrgyzstan, located in Chlopon-Ata in the Issyk-Kul region, was officially opened with the support of the OSCE Programme Office in Bishkek and the State Agency for Environmental Protection and Forestry of Kygryzstan (SAEPF) on 9 November 2017...

VALLETTA, 16 November 2017 – Senior Members of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly’s Ad Hoc Committee on Migration are in Malta for discussions on promoting co-operation related to migration in the Mediterranean region. The conference, organized by the Inter-Parliamentary Union, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Mediterranean and the Parliament of Malta, will serve as parliamentary input to United Nations discussions on global compacts on refugees and migrants next year...

Two co-ordination meetings between 15 OSCE-supported Women’s Resource Centres (WRCs) were organized by the OSCE Programme Office in Dushanbe on 14 November 2017, bringing together 45 participants from the Sughd, Khatlon, Rasht Valley regions, and Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Region of Tajikistan....

A three-day training seminar organized by the OSCE Programme Office in Dushanbe for government officials and local psychologists on justice for children concluded on 17 November 2017 in Varzob, Tajikistan...

A four-day workshop on the role of the media in covering violent extremism and radicalization leading to terrorism (VERLT) concluded on 17 November 2017 in Dushanbe...

ERGNETI, 16 November 2017- On 16 November 2017, the 82nd Incident Prevention and Response Mechanism (IPRM) meeting was held in Ergneti. Erik Hoeeg, Acting Head of the European Union Monitoring Mission in Georgia (EUMM) and Ambassador Guenther Baechler, Special Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office for the South Caucasus, co-facilitated the event...

The SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations but more explosions in Donetsk region compared with the previous reporting period. It recorded fewer ceasefire violations in Luhansk region compared with the previous reporting period. The SMM camera at the Donetsk filtration station recorded a round exploding very close to the camera. The Mission continued monitoring the disengagement areas near Stanytsia Luhanska, Zolote and Petrivske; it recorded ceasefire violations near the Stanytsia Luhanska and Petrivske disengagement areas. Its access remained restricted in the disengagement areas and elsewhere, including near Kreminets.* The Mission saw weapons in violation of withdrawal lines in Shymshynivka and Bohoiavlenka. It facilitated and monitored repairs and maintenance of essential infrastructure in Shchastia, Vesela Hora and Novozvanivka. The Mission visited three border areas outside of the control of the government. The SMM followed up on media reports that a car belonging to the Consul General of the Russian Federation Consulate in Kharkiv had been damaged...

VIENNA, 16 November 2017 – The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Harlem Désir today expressed his concern about a series of measures by the United States of America and the Russian Federation requiring the media entities from other countries to register themselves as “foreign agents”...

A ceremony in Podgorica on 15 November 2017 saw 120 displaced vulnerable families who had been living in a container settlement in the Konik Camp presented with keys to new homes financed by the Regional Housing Programme and supported by the OSCE Mission to Montenegro.

WARSAW, 16 November 2017 – To mark the International Day for Tolerance, the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) today published hate crime data for 2016 on its dedicated website. This year's data, which have been submitted by OSCE participating States, civil society groups and international organizations can, for the first time, be comprehensively searched, filtered and downloaded.

MOSTAR, 16 November 2017 – The OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina and eight Herzegovina-based Coalitions against Hate marked the International Day of Tolerance today in Mostar. The event gathered coalition members from Trebinje, Nevesinje, Bileca, Konjic, Stolac, Capljina, Prozor-Rama and Mostar, who marked this day with a series of performances celebrating cultural diversity and tolerance through music, film, art and poetry...

A training seminar on the various aspects of voter registration, organized by Kazakhstan’s Central Election Commission (CEC) in co-operation with the OSCE Programme Office in Astana and the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), concluded on 16 November 2017 in Astana.

MOSCOW, 16 November 2017- The Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group (Igor Popov of the Russian Federation, Stephane Visconti of France, and Andrew Schofer of the United States of America) met separately on 14 and 16 November with the Foreign Minister of Armenia Edward Nalbandian and the Foreign Minister of Azerbaijan Elmar Mammadyarov. The Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Andrzej Kasprzyk, also participated in the meetings...

Tools and methods for an effective evaluation of judges’ performance were the focus of a workshop organized jointly by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) and the Council of Europe, within the context of their Support to the Judicial Reform project, in Tbilisi on 14

COPENHAGEN, 16 November 2017 – On the occasion of the International Day for Tolerance and following a series of reported attacks on the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender persons in recent months – by both state and private actors in several OSCE countries – the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly’s human rights committee Chair Ignacio Sanchez Amor (MP, Spain) today called for urgent action to protect and promote LGBT rights...

A series of three-day workshops organized by the OSCE Programme Office in Dushanbe on professional behaviour at border crossing points for a total of 48 officers from Tajikistan’s Border Troops, the Interior Ministry and Customs Service were held in Dushanbe (24-26 October 2017), Khujand (8-10 November 2017) and Kulyab (14-16 November 2017).