News and press releases

DUSHANBE, 27 May 2016 – A one-month Border Management Staff Course for Women Leaders concluded today at the OSCE Border Management Staff College in Dushanbe, which trained 25 female border officials representing ten OSCE participating States- Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Germany, Georgia, Kyrgyzstan, Lithuania, Mongolia, Switzerland, Tajikistan, and Ukraine- and one OSCE Partner for Co-operation, Algeria...

The finalization of a Regulatory Reform Roadmap for Armenia was the focus of a workshop co-organized by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (OSCE/ODIHR), the Ministry of Justice of Armenia and the OSCE Office in Yerevan on 27 and 28 May 2016 in Tsaghkadzor, Armenia.

ISTOČNO SARAJEVO / BRČKO DISTRICT, 27 May 2016 – The use of videoconferencing for interviewing witnesses at remote locations was the focus of a two-day peer-to-peer meeting the OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina organized for judges and prosecutors who are working on war crimes cases in courts and prosecutors' offices at the entity level and Brčko District...

A seminar organized by the OSCE Mission to Moldova on 25 May 2016 trained 25 judges and prosecutors on investigating and prosecuting a range of cybercrimes, including online child pornography and human trafficking over the Internet...

The issues of enhancing the interaction between the courts and the media in Kazakhstan were in the spotlight of an OSCE-organized three-day study tour to Russian Federation by a delegation from the Supreme Court of Kazakhstan, Almaty City Court and the Court Reporters Guild from 25 to 27 May 2016...

ASTANA, 27 May 2016 – An OSCE-supported presentation of the report on the activities of Kazakhstan’s National Human Rights Commissioner (Ombudsman) in 2015 took place today in Astana bringing together some 60 parliamentarians, government officials, legal scholars, representatives of non-governmental organizations and media...

TBILISI, 27 May 2016 – The OSCE Parliamentary Assembly’s Special Representative on the South Caucasus Kristian Vigenin (MP, Bulgaria), today concluded a two-day visit to Georgia...

Some 70 representatives of akimats (municipalities) in villages of Kazakhstan’s Tselinograd District’s met on 27 May 2016 in Akmol, Akmola region, to discuss the ongoing local self-governance reform and brainstormed on how to further develop the legal and institutional framework...

On 26 May 2016 at 06:33hrs (Moscow time), a Russian convoy arrived at the Donetsk Border Crossing Point (BCP). A total of 47 vehicles were checked by the Russian border guards and customs services. All of the 47 vehicles had crossed back into the Russian Federation by 14:45hrs on 26 May...

The SMM observed a similar level of violence in Donetsk region and recorded an increased number of ceasefire violations in Luhansk region. The Mission conducted crater analysis in Staromykhailivka. It continued to monitor the withdrawal of weapons, and noted armoured combat vehicles in the security zone. The SMM followed up on reports of casualties from a landmine incident in Pavlopil where four Ukrainian Armed Forces servicemen were killed and three injured. The Mission’s freedom of movement was restricted on five occasions, mainly in areas not controlled by the Government...

VIENNA, 26 May 2016 – OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Dunja Mijatović today once again expressed concern about the safety of journalists in the Russian Federation following an attack on Denis Kuchmenko, a journalist and Director General of the Gorod media holding company in Bratsk in the country’s Irkutsk Region...

VIENNA, 26 May 2016 – The Italian Senate should consider pending legislation that would increase the maximum penalty to 9 years in jail for criminally defaming elected officials and judges in light of its effect on free expression, OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Dunja Mijatović said today...

ISSYK-KUL, Kyrgyzstan, 26 May 2016 – A two-day regional expert seminar which started today gathers some 60 anti-corruption practitioners, experts and policy-makers from 12 countries in Eastern Europe, the South Caucasus and Central Asia to discuss effective preventive measures to combat corruption in the extractive industries and education sectors and to exchange best practices...

VIENNA, 26 May 2016 – Addressing the OSCE Permanent Council in Vienna today Estonia’s Foreign Minister and Chair of the Council of Europe’s Committee of Ministers Marina Kaljurand underlined her country’s strong support for Europe’s fundamental values – human rights, democracy and the rule of law – and called for mutual efforts and co-operation in addressing the unresolved protracted conflicts...

The SMM observed an increased level of violence in both Donetsk and Luhansk regions as compared to the previous reporting period. The Mission continued to monitor the withdrawal of weapons, and noted the presence of armoured combat vehicles and other hardware in the security zone. It continued to monitor the situation of civilians at checkpoints. The Mission facilitated adherence to the ceasefire and monitored the repair of essential infrastructure. Its freedom of movement was restricted three times in areas not controlled by the Government.*...

COPENHAGEN, 25 May 2016 – The OSCE Parliamentary Assembly’s Special Representative on the South Caucasus, Kristian Vigenin (MP, Bulgaria), and the Chair of the OSCE PA’s Committee on Democracy, Human Rights, and Humanitarian Questions, Isabel Santos (MP, Portugal), today welcomed the release by the Supreme Court of Azerbaijan of investigative journalist Khadija Ismayilova...

COPENHAGEN, 25 May 2016 – Following the release of Ukrainian pilot and member of parliament Nadiya Savchenko after nearly two years in a Russian prison, reportedly in exchange for two alleged Russian servicemen Aleksandr Aleksandrov and Yevgeny Yerofeyev, Isabel Santos (MP, Portugal), Chair of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly’s Committee on Democracy, Human Rights and Humanitarian Questions, issued the following statement:...

VIENNA / WARSAW, 25 May 2016 – OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Dunja Mijatović and the Director of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), Michael Georg Link, today welcomed the release of the Azerbaijani journalist and human rights defender Khadija Ismayilova...

WARSAW, 25 May 2016 – Michael Georg Link, Director of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights, welcomed the release today of Ukrainian pilot and member of parliament, Nadiya Savchenko, who had been held in Russia since 2014...

LUHANSK, 25 May 2016 – The OSCE Special Monitoring Mission (SMM) to Ukraine opened a new forward patrol base (FPB) in the government-controlled town of Shchastia in Luhansk region today. The FPB will increase the Mission’s ability to monitor the security situation in both government- and non-government-controlled areas...

BERLIN, 25 May 2016- OSCE Chairperson-in-Office and German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier today welcomed the release of the Ukrainian pilot Nadiya Savchenko...

The OSCE Programme Office in Astana in co-operation with the Pavlodar Aarhus Centre held the first in a series of three training seminars for some 20 government officials, representatives of non-governmental organizations, political parties and the media on public participation mechanisms in environmental decision-making in Pavlodar, Kazakhstan, on 21 May 2016...

An exhibition of paintings, photographs, installations, poetry and writing by students of the Petro Nini Luarasi High School in Tirana on the theme of domestic violence, was unveiled by the students and the OSCE Presence in Albania on 24 May 2016 in the capital...

Serbia’s legal framework for governing elections to the High Judicial Council and the State Prosecutors’ Council is fairly comprehensive although there are a few minor issues with implementing the laws and regulations, partly as a result of gaps in the law. This is the conclusion of a joint Report launched on 24 May 2016 by the OSCE Mission to Serbia and the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR)...

ASTANA, 25 May 2016 – An OSCE-supported discussion entitled “Future Energy: Global Trends and Technologies” took place today as a special session at the IX Astana Economic Forum in Astana, Kazakhstan, bringing together some 100 parliamentarians, international experts, business leaders, government officials and civil society leaders.

SHKODRA, Albania, 25 May 2016 – The OSCE Presence in Albania, USAID and the Austrian Development Co-operation launched a new phase of the ‘Justice without delays’ initiative today in Shkodra, Albania, with the aim of increasing the efficiency of court proceedings by reducing unnecessary hold ups...

The OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Ukraine and its longstanding partner, the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy, on 20 May 2016 presented a handbook on the theory of law, one of the fundamental legal disciplines, which was developed by a group of prominent researchers from the Kyiv-Mohyla Academy and Yaroslav Mudryi National Law University under the leadership of Professor Mykola Koziubra...

WARSAW, 24 May 2016 – Michael Georg Link, Director of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), welcomed the decision on 23 May by the United States Supreme Court upending the conviction and death sentence of an African American man, Timothy Tyrone Foster, on the basis that prosecutors had excluded African-Americans from the jury at his trial...

The SMM observed a marked decrease in the level of violence in Donetsk region as compared to the previous reporting period. Luhansk region remained relatively calm. The SMM continued to monitor the withdrawal of weapons and noted the presence of armoured combat vehicles and anti-aircraft weapons in the security zone. The Mission observed the full re-opening of the Olenivka crossing route, and learned that people had stayed overnight at the Ukrainian Armed Forces checkpoint near Berezove. A man died from a heart attack while queuing at a checkpoint south of Stanytsia Luhanska. The Mission’s freedom of movement was restricted once, in an area not controlled by the Government...*

VIENNA, 24 May 2016 – OSCE Representative Dunja Mijatović today called on the authorities in Ukraine to conduct a swift investigation of the attack against Anatoly Ostapenko, journalist with Hromadske TV in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine...

YEREVAN, 24 May, 2016 – The OSCE Parliamentary Assembly’s Special Representative on the South Caucasus, Kristian Vigenin (MP, Bulgaria), today concluded a two-day visit to Armenia and called for increased parliamentary support for efforts for a peaceful solution to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict...

DUSHANBE, 24 May 2016 – An OSCE-organized high-level dialogue on countering human trafficking today in Dushanbe brought together some 50 participants from state agencies, civil society organizations and the international community, as part of the Office’s support to the Inter-agency Commission on Combating Trafficking in Human Beings under Tajikistan’s Presidential Apparatus...

WARSAW/COPENHAGEN, 24 May 2016 – In a joint statement, Ilkka Kanerva, President of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, and Michael Georg Link, Director of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights, expressed concern today over a constitutional amendment passed by the Turkish parliament stripping certain members of their immunity from prosecution...

ASTANA, 24 May 2016 – An OSCE-supported regional training seminar for some 50 military officers from Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan on the practical implementation of the Vienna Document 2011 and confidence- and security-building measures began today in Astana...

Election experts from the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) presented the findings and recommendations from the final report on the 4 October 2015 parliamentary elections in Kyrgyzstan, at an event held in the Kyrgyz capital on 24 May 2016 and co-organized with the OSCE Centre in Bishkek.

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

A civil society expert workshop and discussions amongst OSCE delegations on the topic of Dialogue in Search of Social Cohesion, organized by the 2016 Austrian Chairmanship of the OSCE Mediterranean Contact Group and hosted by Spain, concluded on 24 May 2016 in Madrid...

The SMM observed a similar level of violence in Donetsk region both on 21 and 22 May as compared to 20 May and observed an increase in the number of ceasefire violations in Luhansk region on 21 May and fewer on 22 May- compared to 20 May. It continued to monitor the withdrawal of weapons, and noted the presence of armoured combat vehicles and anti-aircraft weapons in the security zone. The Mission followed up on reports of shelling and conducted crater analysis in government-controlled Avdiivka. Some 600 people gathered in front of the residence of SMM monitors in Donetsk city. It also monitored events on the occasion of the “Day of Heroes” in Lviv and a protest in Chernivtsi. The Mission’s freedom of movement was restricted on eight occasions, exclusively in areas not controlled by the Government...

ALMATY, Kazakhstan, 23 May 2016 – The first in a series of OSCE-supported training seminars on profiling techniques at the border checkpoints to help counter transnational crime began today in Almaty.

ISSYK-KUL, Kyrgyzstan, 23 May 2016 – Some 30 competitively-selected Kyrgyz journalists from Batken, Bishkek, Jalal-Abad and Osh, cities completed a four–day training course in Issyk-Kul region on Sunday on media reporting on violent extremism and radicalization that lead to terrorism (VERLT)...

BELGRADE, 22 May 2016 – The European Union Delegation to Serbia and The OSCE Mission to Serbia have taken note of the wide-ranging personnel changes at Radio Television Vojvodina (RTV) undertaken by the newly appointed managing board...

The SMM observed a slightly higher level of violence in Donbas compared to the previous day. It continued to monitor the withdrawal of weapons and noted the presence of armoured combat vehicles and anti-aircraft weapons in the security zone. The Mission monitored the situation affecting civilians living near the contact line. It also monitored a demonstration in Kyiv. The operation of the Mission’s ceasefire monitoring equipment was stopped by armed “DPR” members in Donetsk city and its activities were restricted on five other occasions, mainly in areas not controlled by the Government...

VIENNA, 21 May 2016 – OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Dunja Mijatović today criticized the recent mass detentions of members of the media in Kazakhstan...

The SMM observed a similar level of violence in Donetsk region and recorded slightly fewer ceasefire violations in Luhansk region compared to the previous day. The SMM conducted crater analysis in Stanytsia Luhanska. It continued to monitor the withdrawal of weapons and noted numerous armoured combat vehicles, as well as anti-aircraft weapons in the security zone. The Mission followed up on reports of casualties from a landmine incident in Pavlopil. It also monitored a protest in Lviv region. The Mission’s freedom of movement was restricted on three occasions exclusively in areas not controlled by the Government...

Two two-day training courses on combating domestic violence through strengthening the co-operation and capacities of different state and non-state players were organized jointly by the OSCE Office in Yerevan, the Armenian Police and the Social Justice non-governmental organization on 17-18 May and 19-20 May 2016 in Tsakhkadzor, Armenia...

From 16 to 20 May 2016 in Budva, Montenegro, the OSCE Mission organized a training course for 45 legal professionals from northern Kosovo on international human rights standards during trial proceedings...

OSH, Kyrgyzstan, 20 May 2016 – The OSCE Centre in Bishkek, in co-operation with the non-governmental organization Ensan-Diamond and the local public association “Peace Messengers”, conducted three one-day training courses on conflict prevention and mediation in Osh city for some 100 members of Women Initiative Groups from the Batken, Jalal-Abad and Osh provinces...

ST. PETERSBURG, 20 May 2016 – Addressing the plenary session of the Interparliamentary Assembly of the Commonwealth of Independent States (IPA CIS) in St. Petersburg today, OSCE Parliamentary Assembly President Ilkka Kanerva (MP, Finland) stressed the importance of building bridges between nations and between international inter-parliamentary organizations, welcoming the focus of the IPA CIS session on economic and environmental challenges...

ULAANBAATAR, 20 May 2016 – The OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) today opened an election observation mission to monitor the 29 June parliamentary elections in Mongolia...

The SMM observed an increased level of violence in Donetsk region and similar levels in Luhansk region compared to the previous day. The Mission continued to monitor the withdrawal of weapons and visited border areas not controlled by the Government. It followed up on reports of shelling in Krasnohorivka, and on reports of casualties due to an anti-tank mine explosion near Pavlopil. The SMM also monitored a protest by internally displaced persons in Odessa, and peaceful commemorations of the 1944 deportation of the Crimean Tatars in Kherson region and Kyiv city. The Mission’s freedom of movement was restricted on two occasions...