News and press releases

The SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations in Donetsk and Luhansk regions compared with the previous reporting period. The Mission continued monitoring the disengagement areas and recorded ceasefire violations inside the Stanytsia Luhanska and Petrivske disengagement areas. Its access remained restricted in all three areas and elsewhere. The SMM saw weapons in violation of withdrawal lines in Kostiantynivka and Volnovakha, and near Aslanove and Poltavka. The Mission observed the presence of mine hazard signs as well as boxes with firing cables attached to them near Novotroitske. It facilitated and monitored repairs and maintenance to essential infrastructure near Marinka and Artema. The Mission visited a border area not under government control. The Mission monitored the situation along the administrative boundary line between Kherson region and Crimea...

VIENNA, 3 November 2017 – A common understanding of the rules for responsible state behaviour in cyberspace are needed in order to promote confidence and trust between states and lower the risk of cyber conflicts, said participants of the Austrian OSCE Chairmanship’s conference on cybersecurity today in Vienna...

OTTAWA, 3 November 2017— OSCE Parliamentary Assembly Christine Muttonen (Austria) is in Ottawa where she met yesterday with OSCE PA Special Representative on Gender Issues Hedy Fry (Canada) for discussions on the promotion of women’s leadership in the OSCE, its Parliamentary Assembly and within national parliaments.

VALLETTA, 3 November 2017 – OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Harlem Désir today expressed concern regarding the detention of and reports of violence against journalist Igor Rudnikov in Kaliningrad in the Russian Federation and called on the authorities to release him...

VALLETTA, 3 November 2017- OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Harlem Désir, in Malta today to attend the funeral of journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia, urged the country’s authorities to ensure that all means will be put in place to enable a full, transparent and independent investigation into the killing of the prominent investigative journalist...

VIENNA, 3 November 2017 – The relationship between the media and security across the OSCE region and how it could be enhanced to the benefit of both the free media and security interests was the focus of the OSCE Supplementary Human Dimension Meeting 2017, which concludes in Vienna today.

Elections experts from the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) met with electoral stakeholders in Belgrade on 1 and 2 November 2017 to present the final report of ODIHR’s election assessment mission for the presidential election in Serbia on 2 April 2017. The report’s

An OSCE-supported three-day train-the-trainer course for law enforcement personnel on psychological profiling techniques to be used when policing large-scale events concluded in Karaganda, Kazakhstan, on 3 November 2017.

An OSCE-supported expert group discussion on developing national legislation on media took place on 2 November 2017 in Astana.

An OSCE-supported roundtable discussion on Kazakhstan’s recently adopted 2017–2021 Migration Policy Concept Paper, which relates to regulating external, internal, and ethnic migration in the country, took place on 3 November 2017 in Almaty, Kazakhstan.

The OSCE Mission to Montenegro, in co-operation with the Centre for Mediation, concluded a four-day training course for a new group of 20 mediators in family disputes on 2 November 2017 in Podgorica as part of its activities to support the government in judicial reform.

VIENNA, 2 November 2017 – In their addresses to the OSCE Permanent Council in Vienna, the co-chairs of the Geneva International Discussions (GID) expressed satisfaction with the level of engagement by participants in the Discussions. At the same time, they stressed the need to make progress on the issue of the non-use of force and others on the agenda.

The SMM recorded more ceasefire violations in Donetsk region compared with the previous reporting period. In Luhansk region the Mission recorded a similar number of ceasefire violations – including, however, more explosions – compared with the previous reporting period. It followed up on a report of a civilian casualty in Dmytrivka. The SMM observed damage to houses due to shelling in Uzhivka. The Mission continued monitoring the disengagement areas and, while there, observed calm situations at each one; its access remained restricted in all three areas and elsewhere, including in Novolaspa and Siedove near the border with the Russian Federation. The SMM saw weapons in violation of withdrawal lines in Novoaidar and Lysychansk. The Mission visited four border areas not under government control. In Kyiv, the SMM monitored a gathering in front of the Cabinet of Ministers building and continued to monitor the gathering in front of the national Parliament building...

A team of election experts from the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) visited Tirana from 30 October to 2 November to present the  final report by the OSCE/ODIHR election observation mission for the 25 June 2017 parliamentary elections in Albania. The report’s

VIENNA, 2 November 2017 – Representatives of Ukrainian and Russian journalists’ unions today, on the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists, called upon their governments to promote a safe and enabling environment for journalists and vigorously counter impunity of crimes against the media...

Best practices and internationally available tools to prevent and counter trafficking in cultural property and antiquities was the focus of a three-day international seminar designed to build the capacity of some 60 participants from different national services, which concluded on 2 November 2017 in Larnaca, Cyprus.

The Border Security and Management Unit (BSMU) of the OSCE’s Transnational Threats Department, in close co-operation with the OSCE Presence in Albania, organized a workshop from 31 October to 2 November 2017 on how to establish an Advance Passenger Information (API) system in Albania, aimed to prevent the movement of foreign terrorist fighters and combat terrorism and transnational crime.

OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities Lamberto Zannier is visiting Moldova from 30 October to 3 November 2017 to continue the institution’s long-standing engagement with the country on issues related to ethnic diversity and identity...

VIENNA, 2 November 2017 – OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Harlem Désir today welcomed the decision by Azerbaijan’s authorities to drop criminal charges against prominent Azerbaijani journalist and media expert Mehman Aliyev and the news agency Turan...

VIENNA, 2 November 2017 – On the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes Committed against Journalists, the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Harlem Désir made the following statement...

The SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations in Donetsk and Luhansk regions compared with the previous reporting period. The SMM observed fresh impact sites near Slovianoserbsk. The SMM continued monitoring all three disengagement areas; it recorded ceasefire violations inside the Zolote disengagement area and near the Stanytsia Luhanska and Petrivske disengagement areas. Its access remained restricted in all three areas and elsewhere. The Mission saw weapons in violation of withdrawal lines in Kostiantynivka. It facilitated and monitored repairs to and maintenance of essential infrastructure in Shchastia. The SMM visited a border area not under government control. It followed up on reports of an attack which killed a person and wounded another near Kyiv. It continued monitoring a public gathering in front of the national Parliament building in Kyiv...

SKOPJE, 1 November 2017 – The inclusion of undocumented Roma people was the focus of a regional conference held in Skopje on 1 November 2017. At the conference, public officials and civil society representatives from the country and the region gathered to discuss and exchange best practices on the topic...

WASHINGTON, 1 November 2017 – In response to the vehicle attack in Manhattan on Tuesday, which killed eight and injured 11, and which authorities are treating as an act of terror, OSCE Parliamentary Assembly President Christine Muttonen issued the following statement...

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 decreased at both BCPs compared to the previous week. The sixty-eighth Russian convoy crossed into Ukraine and returned though the Donetsk Border Crossing Point...

The OSCE Mission to Moldova gathered 16 civil society representatives from the left bank of the Dniester/Nistru River (Transdniestria) for the final meeting in this year’s Civil Society Club series on 27 October. The event, held in Tiraspol, focused on NGOs using web technologies to raise awareness about their work and better connect with their communities.

Working groups on gender issues from five regions across Tajikistan met on 31 October 2017 to create a central co-ordination body at a roundtable meeting organized by the OSCE Programme Office in Dushanbe.

Washington, D.C., 31 October 2017 – A two-day conference organized by the OSCE Conflict Prevention Centre on the role of armed and security forces in democratic societies concluded on 31 October 2017 in Washington, D.C.

The SMM recorded more ceasefire violations in Donetsk and Luhansk regions compared with the previous 24 hours. The Mission followed up on reports of two civilian casualties in Kostiantynivka. The SMM continued monitoring the disengagement areas and observed calm situations in all three while present. Its access remained restricted in all three areas and elsewhere, including at a permanent storage site and near Kachkarske. The Mission saw weapons in violation of withdrawal lines in Teple, Bakhmut, Lysychansk and Nikishyne. It facilitated and monitored repairs and maintenance to power lines between Novozvanivka and Troitske and of essential infrastructure in Shchastia and Artema. The SMM visited two border areas not under government control. It also monitored a public gathering in Kyiv calling for political reform. With respect to local elections in newly formed territorial units, the SMM monitored the security situation around polling stations in Odessa region...

Mainstreaming gender in the legislative process in Montenegro was the focus of a workshop for 32 members and secretaries of Montenegro’s parliamentary committees held in Podgorica on 30 and 31 October 2017. The event was organized by the OSCE Mission to Montenegro with expert support from the OSCE

The fifth annual Model OSCE Conference was organized by the OSCE Mission to Moldova from 26 to 29 October 2017 in Vadul lui Voda, bringing together 35 students from Balti, Chisinau, Cahul, Comrat and Tiraspol to participate in a simulation exercise that engages youth in conflict resolution, thereby honing their negotiation skills...

An OSCE-supported two-day training seminar on the application of the Pollutant Release and Transfer Register (PRTR) Protocol to the Aarhus Convention in Kazakhstan for some 60 representatives of government entities, the private sector, Aarhus Centres and environmental NGOs concluded on 31 October 2017 in Astana.

The SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations in Donetsk region between the evenings of 27 and 28 October compared with the previous reporting period and more between the evenings of 28 and 29 October compared with the previous 24 hours. In Luhansk region, the SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations between the evenings of 27 and 28 October compared with the previous reporting period and a similar number of ceasefire violations between the evenings of 28 and 29 October compared with the previous 24 hours. The Mission followed up on reports of a casualty in Donetsk city. The SMM observed fresh damage to civilian properties caused by shelling in Marinka, Avdiivka, Pikuzy, Oleksandrivka and Sakhanka. The Mission continued monitoring all three disengagement areas; it recorded a ceasefire violation inside the Zolote disengagement area. Its access remained restricted in all three areas and elsewhere, including near Metalist (twice).* The Mission saw weapons in violation of withdrawal lines near Luhanske and in Bakhmut. It facilitated and monitored repairs and maintenance to power lines between Novozvanivka and Troitske. The SMM visited a border area not under government control. The Mission continued monitoring the administrative boundary line between Kherson region and Crimea. With respect to ongoing local elections, the SMM monitored the security situation around polling stations in Lviv region and government-controlled areas of Donetsk region, where it observed calm situations.

Eight monitoring networks to record and investigate hate crimes were established across Kosovo as a result of a series of workshops organized by the OSCE Mission in Kosovo between 2 and 30 October 2017. The networks are comprised of police investigators, community police officers and prosecutors who will co-operate to address hate crimes across the regions in a more efficient way. The networks will enable a unified institutional approach to properly identifying, recording and investigating hate crimes.

The involvement of young people in social activities and youth empowerment were the key topics of the OSCE-supported Zhas (Youth) Camp, an annual two-day event which concluded on 29 October 2017 in Petropavlovsk, Kazakhstan.

A one-day roundtable discussion on women, peace and security took place in Dushanbe on 30 October 2017. The discussion was organized by the OSCE Programme Office in Dushanbe with the participation of 30 representatives from Tajikistan’s civil society, political parties, national gender experts and

SKOPJE, 30 October 2017 – The second round of mayoral elections in the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia were competitive and respect for fundamental freedoms contributed towards conduct of democratic elections, the observers from the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) concluded in a preliminary statement released today...

The OSCE Programme Office in Bishkek handed over video surveillance equipment to the State Committee for National Security of the Kyrgyz Republic (SCNS) on 24 October 2017 in the city of Osh. The video equipment consisting of 18 security cameras will enhance security in the remand prison as well as contribute to prevention of torture and other cruel and degrading treatment or punishment in penitentiaries.

MINSK, 27 October 2017 –Special Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office in Ukraine and in the Trilateral Contact Group (TCG), Martin Sajdik, made the following statement to the press after the meeting of the TCG and its Working Groups in Minsk on 27 October 2017:

The SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations in Donetsk and Luhansk regions compared with the previous reporting period. The Mission recorded ceasefire violations inside the Petrivske disengagement area and near the Stanytsia Luhanska and Zolote disengagement areas. Its access remained restricted in the disengagement areas and elsewhere, including in Siedove near the border with the Russian Federation.* The Mission saw weapons in violation of withdrawal lines in Bakhmut and Nyzhnoteple. It facilitated and monitored repairs and maintenance of essential infrastructure in Shchastia and Artema. The SMM visited a border area not under government control.

Sarajevo, 27 October 2017 – The OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina expresses its deep concerns about the nature of statements expressed in the conclusions of the High Judicial and Prosecutorial Council of Bosnia and Herzegovina (HJPC), at its session on 26 October 2017, in relation to the information submitted by the Centre for War Research, War Crimes and Search for Missing Persons of RS.

The SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and more in Luhansk region compared with the previous reporting period. The SMM continued monitoring all three disengagement areas; it recorded a projectile in flight, assessed as inside the Stanytsia Luhanska disengagement area. Its access remained restricted in all three areas and elsewhere, including at a checkpoint near Olenivka.* The SMM saw weapons in violation of withdrawal lines near Illinka. The Mission facilitated and monitored repairs and maintenance to the thermal power plant in Shchastia and high-voltage power lines near Donetskyi. In Kyiv, the SMM followed up on reports of an explosion which killed two people and injured three others and on reports of a fire in a building. Also in Kyiv, it monitored the ongoing gathering in front of the national Parliament building.

SARAJEVO, 27 October 2017 – The OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina is organizing a series of multi stakeholder meetings on local level responses to preventing and countering violent extremism that will gather representatives of municipalities, civil society organizations, educational institutions, social welfare centres, mental health centres, police, religious communities and correctional facilities. Meetings will be held in Cazin on October 30-31, Bihac on October 31 – November 1, Brcko on November 6-7, Tuzla on November 13-14, and Zenica on December 7-8.

SARAJEVO, 27 October 2017- An effective, accountable, transparent and democratically controlled security sector is a prerequisite for dealing with different security challenges and can build trust and confidence between states as well as between a state and its citizens, said participants of a regional conference on Security Sector Governance and Reform (SSG/R) in Sarajevo today.

DUSHANBE, 27 October 2017 – The OSCE Border Management Staff College concluded its 19th Border Management Staff Course in Dushanbe today.

The fifth training course of the seventh cycle on anti-discrimination was organized for 25 employees of the state administration by Montenegro’s Ministry for Human and Minority Rights in co-operation with the OSCE Mission to Montenegro on 26 and 27 October 2017 in Ulcinj. This training court dealt with preventing discrimination against national minorities, with emphasis on Roma...

Mongolia’s presidential election was competitive and well-organized, but further efforts are required to address ambiguities and omissions related to key elements of the electoral process, including a potential run-off, concludes the final report  by election observers from the OSCE Office for

Some 40 representatives of Kazakhstan’s water management authorities and academic institutions discussed introducing a specialized curriculum on water management during an OSCE-supported roundtable on 26 October 2017 in Taraz, Kazakhstan...

The first National Congress of People with Disabilities took place in Dushanbe on 25 and 26 October 2017 with the support of the OSCE Programme Office, bringing together some 70 people with disabilities from different regions of Tajikistan who shared their thoughts and experiences on their participation in public life, arts, sport and theatre...

The achievements of the Agreement on Sub-Regional Arms Control were discussed in the meeting of the Forum for Security Co-operation on 25 October 2017 in Vienna. The Agreement has served as a framework for Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Montenegro and Serbia to engage with each other to promote peace and stability in the region.

An international conference supported by the OSCE Mission to Moldova on issues pertaining to the Dniester/Nistru river basin was held on 26 and 27 October 2017 in Tiraspol.