News and press releases

VIENNA, 20 July 2016 – OSCE media freedom representative Dunja Mijatović today condemned the murder of journalist Pavel Sheremet in Kyiv, Ukraine...

The need for a risk management system for Tajikistan’s Customs Service and simpler procedures for transparency and accountability are key recommendations of an integrity assessment of the Customs Code, presented to international donors, private and international companies and NGOs by the OSCE Office in Tajikistan on 18 July 2016...

BISHKEK, 20 July 2016- A series of three-day training courses for police investigators on investigating murders which were committed with the use of explosives, firearms and cold arms are being held from 14 July until 6 August 2016 in Bishkek, Balykchy and Osh cities by the OSCE Centre in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan’s Interior Ministry and the Kyrgyz State Judicial Academy...

BISHKEK, 19 July 2016 – The OSCE Centre in Bishkek and the State Committee on National Security (SCNS) signed a long-term agreement with the aim of increasing co-operation to support the country's security sector...

JAJCE, 19 July 2016 – The recent decision of the Central Bosnian Canton Assembly to divide the secondary school in Jajce, despite court decisions and students’ protests, was the main focus of discussions held today by representatives of the international community in BiH, including the Office of the High Representative, the French Embassy and the USAID Mission Director, who joined the Head of the OSCE Mission to BiH, Ambassador Jonathan Moore, in meetings with Jajce municipal authorities and civil society.

The SMM recorded a slightly higher number of ceasefire violations in Donetsk region compared to 17 July, including more than 200 explosions. In Luhansk region, for the second consecutive day, all of the ceasefire violations observed by the SMM occurred near government-controlled Shchastia during the night, and the number of ceasefire violations recorded was lower compared to the night of 16 July. The SMM conducted crater analysis on both sides of the contact line, in Marinka and Kominternove. The SMM confirmed that an SMM national staff member, who had been temporarily out of reach, was safe. It facilitated and monitored adherence to the ceasefire to enable the exchange of bodies across the contact line. The SMM followed up on the temporary closure of the government checkpoint at the Stanytsia Luhanska bridge, the only authorized route for crossing the contact line in Luhansk region. It monitored border areas not controlled by the Government and encountered restrictions on two occasions. It faced three other freedom-of-movement restrictions, exclusively in areas not controlled by the Government. The SMM observed the arrival of the new Russian Federation Armed Forces personnel to the Joint Centre for Control and Co-ordination (JCCC) at a border crossing point in Kharkiv region...

The 68th meeting under the Incident Prevention and Response Mechanism (IPRM) took place in Ergneti on 19th July 2016, co-facilitated by Kęstutis Jankauskas, the Head of the EU Monitoring Mission in Georgia (EUMM), and Ambassador Guenther Baechler, the Special Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office for the South Caucasus.

A week-long regional summer school on multilingual and multicultural education was held from 10 July to 16 July 2016 in Cholponata in Kyrgyzstan- the fifth regional summer school organized as part of the OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities’ (HCNM) Central Asia Education Programme.

KHARKIV, Ukraine, 18 July 2016 – Today is the first working day for eighty-four cyber-police officers, trained by the OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Ukraine on the grounds of Kharkiv National University of Internal Affairs. 20 special agents and 64 inspectors make up one-third of the personnel of the new Cyber Police Department, which was created within the National Police of Ukraine as part of the wider law enforcement reforms in the country...

Over the weekend in Donetsk region, the SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations, compared to 15 July, with violence focused in the Avdiivka/Yasynuvata area and the northern outskirts of Donetsk as well as the Shyrokyne area. In Luhansk region, the Mission also recorded fewer ceasefire violations than on 15 July, with the only violence noted taking place near Shchastia. The SMM conducted crater analysis and followed up on reports of civilian casualties in Donetsk city’s Petrovskyi district. It continued to monitor the withdrawal of weapons and facilitated the recovery of the body of a dead man. It monitored border areas not controlled by the Government and encountered restrictions on two occasions. The Mission’s freedom of movement was restricted on six other occasions, five of which occurred in areas not controlled by the Government...*

The OSCE Mission to Moldova organized a summer school on 15-17 July 2016 for 25 lawyers from both banks of the Dniester/Nistru River aimed at enhancing their ability to represent individuals who have been subject to discrimination. The summer school was held at Vadul-lui-Vodă, a town by the river...

On 18 July 2016 the Observation Team (OT) of the Observation Mission at the Donetsk Border Crossing Point (BCP) observed a Russian Federation Ministry of Emergency Situations (MES) truck (a white Kamaz with official black registration plates) entering Donetsk BCP at 05:15 from the Russian Federation side...

Montenegro, on 15 June 2016, became the 34th State party to the Convention on Conciliation and Arbitration within the OSCE. The Convention provides mechanisms for the peaceful settlement of disputes between States parties to the Convention and/or OSCE participating States...

COPENHAGEN, 18 July 2016 – In response to the attempted coup in Turkey and subsequent developments in the country, Ignacio Sanchez Amor (MP, Spain), Chairperson of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly’s Committee on Democracy, Human Rights and Humanitarian Questions, today issued the following statement...

KYIV, 17 July 2016 – The Chief Monitor of the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine (SMM), Ambassador Ertugrul Apakan, today on the second anniversary of the Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 tragedy, said that disaster once again reminds all of us of the heavy toll that civilians pay in the armed conflict in eastern Ukraine, and in all armed conflicts...

VIENNA, 16 July 2016 – OSCE media freedom representative Dunja Mijatović today said she was deeply saddened upon learning of the death of photojournalist Mustafa Cambaz in Turkey, and worried about the state of media freedom in the country...

In Donetsk region, the SMM recorded a slightly higher number of ceasefire violations including nearly 400 explosions, compared to the previous reporting period, with violence focused in the Avdiivka/Yasynuvata area, and Shyrokyne. In Luhansk region, the Mission recorded a high number of ceasefire violations compared to none during the previous reporting period, noting a sharp increase of violence, including over 550 explosions on the night of 14 July in the area of Stanytsia Luhanska. The SMM followed up on reports of shelling and conducted crater analysis in Marinka, Maiorsk, Petrovskyi district of Donetsk city and in Stanytsia Luhanska. It followed up on reports about civilian casualties in Staromykhailivka and Zaitseve. Armed “LPR” members repeatedly denied the SMM access to Stanytsia Luhanska bridge...*

Berlin/Vienna, 16 July 2016 –Chairperson-in-Office and German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier, and OSCE Secretary General Lamberto Zannier both expressed deep concern after the attempted military coup in Turkey.

COPENHAGEN, 16 July 2016 – In response to Friday night's attempted coup in Turkey, OSCE PA President Christine Muttonen (MP, Austria) today issued the following statement...

DUSHANBE, 15 July 2016 – Combating the illicit trade in cultural property and the smuggling of historical artifacts was the focus of a week-long workshop organized by the OSCE for representatives of Tajik Border Troops, Customs Service, State Committee of National Security, the Ministry of Culture and Ministry of Internal Affairs, in Dushanbe from 11 to 15 July 2016...

DUSHANBE, 15 July 2016 – Twenty-four mid-rank officers from the Tajik Border Troops, the State Committee on National Security and Tajikistan’s Ministry of Internal Affairs today completed a week-long OSCE workshop in Dushanbe on verifying the authenticity of security documents...

A roundtable discussion on the implementation of the Aarhus Convention in Kazakhstan took place in Astana on 15 July 2016...

KYIV, 15 July 2016 – The OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Ukraine today opened a new sphere of project assistance to Ukraine – improving democratic control of defence and security sectors – with a presentation of international experience and best practices at a conference in Kyiv...

COPENHAGEN, 15 July 2016 – OSCE Parliamentary Assembly President Christine Muttonen (MP, Austria) issued the following statement in response to an apparent terrorist attack that killed at least 84 people in Nice, France, Thursday night...

The OSCE Programme Office in Astana supported a national public hearing on combatting torture in the penal system, organized by the Public Council under the Interior Ministry in Astana, Kazakhstan on 15 July 2016...

BISHKEK, 15 July 2016 – The OSCE Centre in Bishkek and the Regional Office for Central Asia of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR ROCA) completed a training course in Bishkek today for 35 advisors and experts of the Kyrgyz parliament on promoting human rights in the legislative process...

In Donetsk region, the SMM recorded a higher number of ceasefire violations compared to the previous reporting period, with violence focused around Svitlodarsk, Avdiivka, Yasynuvata, and Shyrokyne. In Luhansk region, however, for the first time in four days, the Mission recorded no ceasefire violations. The SMM followed up on reports of shelling and conducted crater analysis in Horlivka, Vozdvyzhenka, and Novotoshkivske. It facilitated and monitored adherence to the ceasefire to enable repairs to essential infrastructure in Shumy, Kirove, and near Pryshyb. The Mission monitored also the withdrawal of weapons, and observed a stockpile of MLRS rockets north of Mariupol. The SMM continued noting long queues at entry-exit checkpoints along the contact line. Its freedom of movement was restricted on four occasions, all in areas outside government control.* The SMM observed the arrival of the new Russian Federation contingent to the Joint Centre for Control and Co-ordination (JCCC) at a border crossing point in Kharkiv region...

BERLIN / VIENNA, 15 July 2016 – OSCE Chairperson-in-Office and Germany’s Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier and OSCE Secretary General Lamberto Zannier today condemned the deadly terror attack in Nice, France...

In Donetsk region, the SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations compared to the previous reporting period, with violence focused around Donetsk city, Yasynuvata, and Shyrokyne. In Luhansk region for the fourth consecutive day, the SMM continued to record a high number of overnight ceasefire violations in government-controlled Stanytsia Luhanska. The SMM followed up on reports of shelling and conducted crater analysis in Petrovskyi district of Donetsk city, in Kamianka and in Stanytsia Luhanska. It facilitated and monitored adherence to the ceasefire to enable repairs to essential infrastructure in Slovianoserbsk, Pryshyb and Krasnyi Lyman. It continued to monitor the withdrawal of weapons. The SMM noted long queues at entry-exit checkpoints along the contact line. Its freedom of movement was restricted on three occasions, including at a border crossing point, all in areas outside government control. The SMM followed up on reports of smuggling of grenades and explosives in Kharkiv region’s border area. In Odessa it observed three Polish citizens blocked inside a hotel by self-defence activists...

BAD REICHENHALL, Germany, 14 July 2016 – A two-day conference on confidence-building measures in the Transdniestrian settlement process was held in the town of Bad Reichenhall in Germany on 12 and 13 July 2016. As in past years, the conference, which traditionally takes place in the German state of Bavaria, brought together political representatives of the sides and international 5+2 partners in an informal setting to address the challenges at hand and advance confidence-building measures that would strengthen the process...

Twenty-five lecturers from law faculties at fifteen universities from around Ukraine, during a roundtable discussion supported by the OSCE Project Co-ordinator on 13 July 2016 in Kyiv, developed recommendations on teaching human rights within Master of Law university programmes...

VIENNA, 14 July 2016 – In his first address to the OSCE Permanent Council as incoming OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Austria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Sebastian Kurz said that the fight against radicalization will be the main priority of Austria’s 2017 OSCE chairmanship...

ASTANA, 14 July 2016 – The introduction of the Pollutant Release and Transfer Register (PRTR) in Kazakhstan was the focus of a roundtable discussion organized in Astana today by the OSCE Programme Office in Astana in partnership with the Energy Ministry’s Information and Analytical Centre of Environment Protection and the UN Development Programme in Kazakhstan...

VIENNA, 13 July 2016 –The importance of international fora and mechanisms in addressing the consequences of the 2008 conflict in Georgia and in increasing stability and transparency in the region was highlighted at the OSCE Forum for Security Co-operation’s meeting today...

In Donetsk region the SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations compared to the previous reporting period. Most of the fighting was recorded in the areas around Donetsk city, Yasynuvata, Horlivka and Shyrokyne. In Luhansk region for the third consecutive day, the SMM continued to record a relatively high number of overnight ceasefire violations in government-controlled Stanytsia Luhanska, including 237 explosions. The SMM followed up on reports of shelling and conducted crater analysis on both sides of the contact line, in Sakhanka, Zaichenko and Stanytsia Luhanska. The SMM facilitated and monitored adherence to the ceasefire to enable repairs to essential infrastructure in Slovianoserbsk, Pryshyb and Shchastia. It continued to monitor the withdrawal of weapons and the situation of civilians at entry-exit checkpoints along the contact line. The Mission monitored a border area not controlled by the Government and encountered a restriction of its freedom of movement there; overall, the Mission’s freedom of movement was restricted on five occasions, four of which were in areas not controlled by the Government...

Some 40 national experts took part in a meeting organized by the OSCE Programme Office in Astana and the Charter for Human Rights Public Foundation in Almaty, Kazakhstan on 13 July 2016, on implementing human rights recommendations from UN bodies...

KHUJAND, Tajikistan, 13 July 2016 – A two-day workshop for civil society and police officers on improving the local referral mechanisms for the protection of domestic violence victims concluded today in Khujand...

VIENNA, 13 July 2016 – OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Dunja Mijatović today said that media laws under consideration by the Parliament in Moldova run counter to international standards on media freedom...

A two-day workshop on ways to improve the recording of hate crimes was organized on 11 and 12 July in Prishtinë/Priština by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), the OSCE Mission in Kosovo and the Kosovo Police.

KYIV, 12 July 2016 – Ambassador Ertugrul Apakan, Chief Monitor of the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine (SMM), today expressed his unease following a recent sharp increase in fighting in eastern Ukraine. He said a ceasefire is a KEY step towards the restoration of stabilization, normalization and ultimately, peace. Adherence to a full and sustainable ceasefire is a basic requirement of the Minsk documents. It is a political and moral obligation, he added.

VIENNA, 12 July 2016 – OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Dunja Mijatović today expressed concern about the decision of Federal Financial Monitoring Service in Russia to publish an updated “list of terrorists and extremists” which includes members of the media...

The SMM recorded a similarly high number of ceasefire violations in Donetsk region compared to the previous reporting period, with violence focusing around Donetsk city and the Avdiivka/Yasynuvata area. In Luhansk region the SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations compared to the previous day. It followed up on reports of shelling and conducted crater analysis in Heorhiivka, Marinka, Popasna and Novooleksandrivka. The Mission continued to observe withdrawal of heavy weapons, observing weapons in violation of the withdrawal line and the presence of armoured combat vehicles in the security zone. The SMM faced restrictions to its freedom of movement.* The Mission followed up on reports about an explosion in Kharkiv.

PODGORICA, 12 July 2016- OSCE Secretary General Lamberto Zannier concluded today a two-day visit to Montenegro, marking the 10th anniversary of the OSCE Mission to Montenegro. “After independence, this country entrusted the OSCE with an important responsibility: to help advance security, democracy, the rule of law and human rights for Montenegrin citizens,” Zannier said...

PAVLODAR, Kazakhstan, 12 July 2016 – An OSCE-supported roundtable discussion on public participation mechanisms in environmental decision-making took place today in Pavlodar for some 25 representatives of the national and local government offices, the private sector, civil society and academia...

KAMENSK-SHAKHTINSKIY, Russian Federation. The Observer Mission (OM) continues to operate 24/7 at both Border Crossing Points (BCPs). The overall cross-border traffic decreased at both BCPs.

The OSCE Mission to Skopje, in co-operation with the Ministry of Internal Affairs, organized a two-day workshop in Ohrid on policing in a multi-ethnic society on 11 and 12 July 2016. Some forty police officers of different ethnicities working in Ohrid and Bitola police stations attended the event and exchanged information and experiences related to multi-ethnic policing...

BISHKEK, 12 July 2016 – A two-day training course on effective investigation of cases of torture conducted by the OSCE Centre in Bishkek in co-operation with the General Prosecutor’s Office and its Prosecutors’ Training Centre ended today in the Kyrgyz capital...

TASHKENT, 12 July 2016 – A three-day seminar for journalists to improve their skills in reporting on human trafficking, organized by the OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Uzbekistan and the Office of the Prosecutor General, began yesterday...

Vienna, 11 July 2016 – Today, energy experts from the OSCE Mediterranean Partners for Co-operation, representing both government institutions and private sector companies, will begin a week-long field study of sustainable energy in Austria and Germany. During their trip, participants will visit leading renewable energy companies, renewable energy sites and discuss the challenges of the energy transition with government representatives and business associations.

The SMM recorded a similarly high number of ceasefire violations in Donetsk region on 9 July compared to 8 July and fewer ceasefire violations on 10 July, respectively compared to 9 July, with violence focusing around Donetsk city and the Avdiivka/Yasynuvata area. In Luhansk region the SMM recorded more ceasefire violations on both 9 and 10 July, respectively compared to 8 July, noting a sharp increase of violence on the night of 9 July in Stanytsia Luhanska. It followed up on reports of shelling and conducted crater analysis in Marinka, Lebedynske, Sakhanka, Stanytsia Luhanska, and Horlivka. The SMM facilitated and monitored adherence to the ceasefire to enable the transfer of the body of a deceased person near Shchastia. Armed “LPR” members repeatedly denied the SMM access to Stanytsia Luhanska bridge...