News and press releases

On 27 April 2016, the OSCE Mission to Moldova supported a training event for 70 local law enforcement personnel on handling cases of domestic violence. The event, held in Moldova’s northernmost town of Ocnița, was the second in a series of events in 2016 for law enforcement, local administration and specialists that aim to improve access to services for domestic violence victims in rural areas...

SHYMKENT, Kazakhstan, 28 April 2016 – The first of ten OSCE-supported two-day seminars for some 30 officials and journalists on the implementation of Kazakhstan’s laws on “Access to Information” and “Public Councils” began today in Shymkent, South Kazakhstan Region...

OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) on 28 April 2016 celebrated the 10th anniversary of the inaugural meeting of its Panel of Experts on the Freedom of Peaceful Assembly.

VIENNA, 28 April 2016 – The sides in eastern Ukraine must urgently and fully respect the ceasefire in order to reverse the worsening security situation, said the Special Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office in Ukraine and in the Trilateral Contact Group Martin Sajdik and the Chief Monitor of the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine (SMM) Ertugrul Apakan in their addresses to the OSCE Permanent Council in Vienna today.

The inter-agency Platform for Action on increasing co-operation in raising public awareness about the risks of trafficking in human beings, supported by the OSCE Centre in Bishkek, in co-operation with the Kyrgyz State Service on Migration, held its first meeting in 2016 on 26 April 2016 in Bishkek...

OSCE Secretary General Lamberto Zannier attended the 5th Moscow Conference on International Security, which focused on combatting terrorism, from 27 to 28 April...

Four civilians were killed close to a “DPR” checkpoint near Olenivka when shelling occurred in the early hours of 27 April...

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...

In Donetsk region, the SMM observed a high level of violence, with more than 600 explosions recorded. In particular, the SMM noted a considerable increase of violence in the Yasynuvata area, with some 450 explosions recorded. In Luhansk region, the SMM recorded ceasefire violations in the area of Stanytsia Luhanska on the night of 25 April. SMM noted a number of weapons missing from permanent storage sites and holding areas. It observed long queues at checkpoints along the contact line. Its freedom of movement was restricted on two occasions, in areas not controlled by the Government.* The SMM followed up on an explosion at a bank in Odessa...

BERLIN, 27 April 2016- A spokesperson of the Federal Foreign Office of Germany, holder of the 2016 OSCE Chairmanship, issued the following statement in Berlin today in response to reports on alleged plans for an armed OSCE mission to eastern Ukraine...

BISHKEK, 27 April 2016 – The OSCE Centre in Bishkek in co-operation with the Human Rights Advocacy Centre and the Kyrgyz State Law Academy concluded a two-day training course for nine competitively-selected law students from different regions of Kyrgyzstan to enhance their abilities to observe and assess current gaps in the administration of justice...

A decision Tuesday by the top court in Russian-occupied Crimea to ban the Crimean Tatars’ governing body indicates a new level of stigmatization of the Tatar community and should be reversed, said OSCE Parliamentary Assembly human rights chair Isabel Santos (MP, Portugal) today...

TESLIC, Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), 27 April 2016 – The consistent application of the double jeopardy principle in war crimes processing is crucial to preventing serious infringements of the constitutional principles of legal certainty and equality before the law, concluded BiH judges and prosecutors at an OSCE-organized peer-to-peer meeting today in Teslic...

BERLIN, 27 April 2016 – OSCE Chairperson-in-Office and German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier today expressed concern following the recent increase in ceasefire violations in Eastern Ukraine and the growing number of incidents involving OSCE monitors...

KYZYLORDA, Kazakhstan, 27 April 2016 – Proper procedures in handling hazardous chemicals and obsolete pesticides was the focus of the first of two OSCE-supported awareness-raising training seminars for some 50 representatives of local government authorities, the private sector, academia and environmental NGOs, which began today in Kyzylorda...

In Donetsk region, the SMM continued to observe a high level of violence. Luhansk region remained relatively calm, with the exception of Stanytsia Luhanska. The SMM conducted crater analysis. SMM-facilitated and-monitored repair work was suspended in Marinka due to nearby violence. Large numbers of people were observed crossing the contact line. The SMM’s freedom of movement was restricted on two occasions, one on each side of the contact line.

BERLIN, 26 April 2016 – The OSCE Chairperson-in-Office and German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier, commemorating the 30th anniversary of the Chernobyl disaster today, stressed the need for further international cooperation to alleviate the consequences of the Chernobyl accident and to prevent the occurrence of such catastrophe in the future...

VIENNA, 26 April 2016 – OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Dunja Mijatović today expressed concern about the obstruction of the work of Savik Shuster, journalist, producer and host of the “Shuster Live” television show in Ukraine...

Practices of monitoring, reporting and investigating hate crimes in Ukraine were the focus of the Second National Confidence and Capacity Building event, organized by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) in Kyiv on 26 April 2016.

JAHORINA, Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), 26 April 2016 – The OSCE Mission to BiH, in co-operation with local NGO Munja Social Innovation Incubator, organized a three-day workshop for journalism students from the Universities of Sarajevo, Mostar and Banja Luka, to familiarize them with the Mission’s work, with particular focus on media freedom, preventing violent extremism and hate- and bias-motivated incidents...

KYZYLORDA, Kazakhstan, 26 April 2016 – An OSCE-supported training seminar for some 30 farmers and representatives from the national and regional water authorities, the Aral-Syrdarya Water Basin Council, the civil society and academia on promoting sustainable fisheries in Kazakhstan’s part of the Aral Sea region began today in Kyzylorda, Kazakhstan....

In promoting education as a tool for conflict prevention, The Hague Recommendations Regarding the Education Rights of National Minorities have offered a toolkit for preservation, inspiration and dialogue, said OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities (HCNM) Astrid Thors as she opened an expert meeting on 21 April 2016 at The Hague to mark two decades of these ground-breaking Recommendations...

DUSHANBE, 26 April 2016 – The OSCE Office in Tajikistan held an open day event in Dushanbe today, inviting some 45 governmental officials from state agencies and representatives of civil society, the international and community and OSCE participating States to learn about the Mission’s work in gender equality in the country...

The OSCE Mission to Moldova organized a training event on raising the public’s awareness of state guaranteed legal aid for four paralegals and 18 law students from Bălţi, Cahul, Chişinău and Comrat, from 22 to 23 April 2016 in Vadul-lui-Vodă...

VIENNA, 26 April 2016 – OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Dunja Mijatović today again expressed concern over journalists’ safety in Armenia following recent coercive actions by police against media representatives in Yerevan...

In Donetsk region, on 23 April the SMM observed a higher level of violence compared to the previous day, with nearly 500 explosions recorded. On 24 April, it recorded a significantly decreased number of ceasefire violations in comparison to the previous day, with less than 30 explosions recorded. In particular, a sharp decline of violence was noted in Avdiivka-Yasynuvata area, where the SMM did not record ceasefire violations save one explosion on 24 April. In Luhansk region, a single ceasefire violation was recorded from 23 to 24 April. The Mission conducted crater analysis on both sides of the contact line. It noted a number of weapons missing from permanent storage sites and holding areas. The SMM monitored four border areas not controlled by the Government; meanwhile its freedom of movement was restricted in two of these areas.

SARAJEVO, 25 April 2016 – The safety of journalists remains the main threat to media freedom in the OSCE region, OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Dunja Mijatović said today during her visit to Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina...

MINSK, 25 April 2016 – OSCE’s engagement in the environmental sphere contribute to sustainable development- mapping of radiation risks, wildfire containment and co-operation between Aarhus Centres- in areas affected by the Chernobyl nuclear tragedy, said Co-ordinator of OSCE Economic and Environmental Activities Yurdakul Yigitguden at an international conference in Minsk today marking 30 years since the disaster...

BELGRADE, 25 April 2016 – The 24 April early parliamentary elections in Serbia offered voters a variety of choices and fundamental freedoms were respected, although there was biased media coverage, an undue advantage for incumbents and a blurring of the distinction between state and party activities, the international observers concluded in a preliminary statement released today. The election administration performed its duties efficiently and generally enjoyed the trust of electoral stakeholders, they said...

BISHKEK, 25 April 2016 – A three-day OSCE-supported orientation seminar for some forty members of parliament and new parliamentary staff on the role and functions of Kyrgyzstan’s 120-seat legislature, the Jogorku Kenesh, concluded today at the Suparu ethno-complex outside Bishkek...

The SMM recorded an increased number of ceasefire violations in both Donetsk and Luhansk regions compared to the previous day. The Mission conducted crater analysis in Donetsk city. It observed weapons at holding areas and noted weapons absent from them. The SMM continued to monitor long queues at entry-exit checkpoints near the contact line. The Mission monitored one border area not controlled by the Government. The SMM followed up on reports of an alleged arson attack on a vehicle in Kharkiv.

In Donetsk region, the SMM recorded a lower level of violence, with half the number of explosions compared to the previous day. In Luhansk region, the SMM noted a similar number of ceasefire violations in comparison to the previous day. The Mission continued to observe a number of weapons in Luhansk city, in violation of withdrawal lines. It noted that numerous weapons were missing from holding areas. The SMM did not experience any specific freedom-of-movement restrictions in the Donbas for the first time in a month. In Kyiv city and Kherson region, the Mission monitored public gatherings...

WARSAW, 22 April 2016 Michael Georg Link, Director of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), welcomed the UN Human Rights Committee’s decision yesterday on human rights defender Azimjan Askarov’s complaint, calling on Kyrgyzstan to release Askarov and overturn his sentence...

On 21 April 2016 at 07:29hrs (Moscow time), a Russian convoy arrived at the Donetsk Border Crossing Point (BCP). A total of 43 vehicles were checked by the Russian border guards and customs services. All of the 43 vehicles had crossed back into the Russian Federation by 15:18hrs on 21 April...

VIENNA, 22 April 2016 – OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Dunja Mijatović today said that recent legislative steps in Ukraine could limit the free flow of information...

SARAJEVO, 22 April 2016 – Some 100 high school students, pedagogues and psychologists from across Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) took part in two youth summits in Teslić and Vogosća this week co-hosted by the OSCE Mission to BiH and the BiH Security Ministry, with the aim of developing school-supported activities to counter and prevent violent extremism from taking ground in educational environments...

The final report by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) on the 5 March 2016 parliamentary elections in Slovakia notes that the legal framework was amended, resulting in a number of improvements. It recommends, however, that limitations on the right to stand for election should be reviewed and that citizens should be allowed to run as independent candidates to ensure full compliance with OSCE commitments. The report recommends introducing provisions prohibiting the misuse of administrative resources.

DUSHANBE, 22 April 2016 – Twenty-five officers from the Interior Ministry, State Committee on National Security, Customs Service, Border Troops, Committee on Emergency Situation and the Agency on Radiation safety of Tajikistan completed in Dushanbe today a week-long workshop on radiation safety awareness. The event was organized by the OSCE Office in Tajikistan...

The SMM recorded a similar number of ceasefire violations in Donetsk region compared to the previous day. In Luhansk region, fewer ceasefire violations were recorded in comparison to the previous day. The Mission noted a significant number of weapons in Luhansk city, in violation of withdrawal lines, while other weapons were missing from holding areas. It analysed craters in an area close to the contact line. The SMM spoke to the head of the Bakhmut (formerly Artemivsk) regional administration regarding the presence of unmarked graves...

BISHKEK, 22 April 2016 – Some sixty journalists completed today a series of OSCE-supported training courses in Osh and Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, on challenges related to reporting on religious beliefs and violent extremism...

Twenty Tajik and Kyrgyz border guards completed on 22 April 2016 in Dushanbe a three-week OSCE operational planning training course, conducted in the framework of the third phase of the OSCE Office’s patrol programming and leadership project...

An OSCE-organized four-week training course on patrolling and leadership skills for 20 officers from Tajik Border Troops concluded on 22 April 2016 at the Gissar training centre, Tajikistan...

COPENHAGEN, 22 April 2016 – The signing of the historic Paris Climate Agreement by world leaders in New York today is a fitting tribute to the global celebration of Earth Day and a reminder of the work that remains to be done in countering global warming, said the leaders of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly’s economic and environmental committee, Nilza Sena (MP, Portugal) and Marietta Tidei (MP, Italy), today...

PODGORICA / VIENNA, 21 April 2016 – A new Code of ethics for journalists in Montenegro was launched today in Podgorica by the Office of the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, the OSCE Mission to Montenegro, the Council of Europe, the Media Council for Self-Regulation (MCSR), and local publications Vijesti, Dan and Monitor...

ASHGABAT, 21 April 201601 – A commentary prepared by the OSCE Centre in Ashgabat covering Turkmenistan’s Education Law of 2013 as well as regulations on state educational institutions, state pre-school institutions and on state specialized educational institutions, was presented at a roundtable meeting in Ashgabat today...

Montenegro’s Demilitarization Programme (MONDEM) has had a positive impact on promoting the OSCE’s comprehensive approach to security, said the country’s Defence Minister Milica Pejanovic-Djurisic as she addressed the OSCE Forum for Security Co-operation in Vienna on 20 April 2016, under the Chairmanship of Poland...

KYIV, 21 April 2016 – The OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Ukraine launched a series of re-training courses today for the new Ukrainian neighbourhood police force as part of its ongoing support to country-wide law enforcement reform. Some 10,000 officers who pass the re-attestation procedure will refine skills and knowledge during the hundred-hour courses to be held from April to December 2016...

NEW YORK, 21 April 2016 – Co-operation is needed more than ever to address the world drug problem and to significantly improve international and regional security, said the Head of the OSCE’s Transnational Threats Department’s Strategic Police Matters Unit, Guy Vinet on Wednesday as he addressed the United Nations General Assembly Special Session (UNGASS 2016) in New York on the world drug problem...

More than 40 specialists from Afghanistan, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan completed a training seminar on advanced explosive ordnance disposal on April 20 2016 in Dushanbe, organized by the OSCE Office in Tajikistan as a part of a multi-year project...

The SMM recorded a lower level of violence in Donetsk region compared to the previous reporting period. It noted weapons in violation of withdrawal lines and others absent from storage sites. The SMM observed long queues at checkpoints along the contact line. The Mission attempted to monitor in border areas outside government control but was repeatedly prevented from doing so. The SMM’s freedom of movement was restricted further in areas not controlled by the Government...