News and press releases

Some 50 defence lawyers participated in a seminar on rules of procedural agreements and plea bargaining in criminal cases in accordance with new Criminal Procedure Code co-organized by the OSCE Programme Office in Astana in co-operation with the Almaty Bar Association on 28 February 2015 in Almaty, Kazakhstan...

VIENNA, 1 March 2015 – OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Dunja Mijatović today said that the death of Sergei Nikolayev, a photojournalist with the Ukrainian newspaper Segodnya, in eastern Ukraine shows the need for urgent efforts to ensure journalists’ safety in conflict zones.

The SMM monitored the implementation of the “Package of measures for the Implementation of the Minsk agreements”. The SMM monitored movement of heavy weapons in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions.

COPENHAGEN, 28 February 2015 – OSCE Parliamentary Assembly President Ilkka Kanerva (MP, Finland) today issued the following statement on the murder of Russian opposition leader and former First Deputy Prime Minister Boris Nemtsov on Friday night in Moscow:

On 27 February 2015 at 07:24hrs (Moscow time), a Russian convoy arrived at the Donetsk Border Crossing Point (BCP). A total of 85 vehicles were checked by the Russian border guard and customs services. All the vehicles had crossed back into the Russian Federation (RF) by 18:14hrs on 27 February.

BRUSSELS, 27 February 2015 – Federica Mogherini, High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy/Vice-President of the European Commission, spoke on the phone today with the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Serbia’s First Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ivica Dačić.

The SMM monitored the implementation of the “Package of measures for the Implementation of the Minsk agreements”. The SMM monitored movement of heavy weapons in the Luhansk and Donetsk regions.

Ergneti, 27 February 2015 – The 52nd meeting under the Incident Prevention and Response Mechanism (IPRM) took place today in Ergneti, co-facilitated by Kęstutis Jankauskas, the Head of the EU Monitoring Mission in Georgia (EUMM), and Ambassador Angelo Gnaedinger, the Special Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office for the South Caucasus.

VIENNA, 27 February 2015 – All sides in eastern Ukraine must continue to fulfil in good faith their obligations under the Minsk Package of Measures, OSCE Chairperson-in-Office and Serbia’s Foreign Minister Ivica Dačić said today in Vienna following a meeting with the OSCE Secretary General Lamberto Zannier and the permanent representatives of the two other Troika members – Ambassadors Thomas Greminger of Switzerland and Rüdiger Lüdeking of Germany.

Raising awareness on lack of identity documents within the Roma community is the focus of a manual launched by the OSCE Mission to Skopje, in co-operation with the Ministry of Labour and Social Policy and Ministry of Internal Affairs, in Strumica on 27 February 2015...

VIENNA, 27 February 2015 – OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Dunja Mijatović today urged a swift investigation of the wiretapping of Macedonian journalists...

SARAJEVO, 27 February 2015 – The OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina organized today a donors meeting and a visit to a weapons storage site in Visoko for the embassies of OSCE participating States present in the country...

VIENNA, 27 February 2015 – OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Dunja Mijatović today welcomed new rules adopted by the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to protect an open Internet...

VIENNA, 27 February 2015 – Slovenian authorities should amend provisions in the Criminal Code allowing for the prosecution of journalists, OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Dunja Mijatović said today, following questioning of two journalists by the state public prosecutor in a defamation case...

WARSAW, 27 February 2015 – Two representatives from the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights attended a court hearing on 25 February related to the case of Nadiya Savchenko, the Ukrainian Air Force pilot and Member of Parliament charged with complicity in the murder of two Russian journalists near Luhansk, Ukraine, in June 2014. At the hearing, the Moscow City Court reaffirmed that Savchenko should remain in pre-trial detention until 13 May 2015...

ASTANA, 27 February 2015 – An OSCE-supported roundtable discussion on developing national legislation on access to information, countering corruption and public oversight took place today in Astana. The event was initiated by the Legal Council of National Democratic Party Nur Otan and co-organized by the OSCE Programme Office in Astana and the Prosecutor General’s Office with the support of the Legal Policy Research Centre, Internews-Kazakhstan and Soros Foundation- Kazakhstan...

WASHINGTON D.C., 26 February 2015 – “Serbia’s OSCE Chairmanship coincides with the worst crisis of European security since the end of the Cold War,” OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Serbia’s First Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ivica Dačić, told the U.S. Helsinki Commission at a hearing on 26 February in Washington, D.C...

COPENHAGEN, 26 February 2015 – The Chair of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly’s Committee on Democracy, Human Rights and Humanitarian Questions, Isabel Santos (MP, Portugal), today expressed deep concern about continuing threats to civil society and journalists in Azerbaijan and renewed her request to visit detained rights defenders...

The SMM monitored the implementation of the “Package of measures for the Implementation of the Minsk agreements”. The SMM, based on its monitoring – which was restricted by third parties and security considerations – noted fighting in some areas. The Joint Centre for Control and Co-ordination (JCCC) continued to make plans for the withdrawal of heavy weapons. The SMM visited Debaltseve and saw destruction caused by recent fighting...

ASTANA, 26 February 2015- The issues of harmonising some legislative acts with provisions of the new Criminal Executive Code of Kazakhstan were among the topics addressed at an OSCE-supported expert meeting held today in Astana. The event was co-organized by the OSCE Programme Office in Astana in co-operation with the Legislative and Judicial Reform Committee of the Mazhilis (lower chamber of the Parliament) with support from the Penal Reform International Office in Central Asia...

A two-day training seminar on conflict resolution and basic trial techniques for some 30 middle-level staff of Kazakhstan’s Prosecutor General’s Office began on 26 February 2015 in Astana...

The Office of the Special Representative and Co-ordinator for Combating Trafficking in Human Beings today, on 26 February 2015, issued an official country visit report on the Republic of Uzbekistan, following an official country visit carried out by her Office...

VIENNA, 26 February 2015 – OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Dunja Mijatović today said recent measures limiting some Russian journalists to fulfil their professional activities in Ukraine are excessive...

Kamensk-Shakhtinsky, Russian Federation. The Observer Mission (OM) continues to operate 24/7 at both BCPs. Overall cross-border traffic flows slightly decreased at both Border Crossing Points (BCPs). The OM continued to observe a number of persons in military-style clothing crossing the border in both directions...

DUSHANBE, 26 February 2015 – A three-day expert workshop on promoting regional co-operation in Central Asia and effective responses to the phenomenon of foreign terrorist fighters, concluded today in Dushanbe...

WASHINGTON, 25 February 2015- OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Serbia’s First Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ivica Dačić, welcomed the commitment of the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of France, Germany, Russia and Ukraine, expressed during yesterday’s meeting of the “Normandy Format” in Paris, to push forward the full implementation of the Package of Measures agreed in Minsk.

The SMM monitored the implementation of the “Package of measures for the Implementation of the Minsk agreements”. The SMM, based on its monitoring – which was restricted by third parties and security considerations – noted that fighting continued around the eastern flank of Mariupol near government-controlled Berdianske and in several other locations in the Donetsk region. Only a few ceasefire violations were observed in the Luhansk region.

VIENNA, 25 February 2015 – Representatives of Ukrainian and Russian journalists’ unions today called for an end to impunity for killings and attacks on journalists, following a meeting in Vienna under the auspices of the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media. The unions’ representatives also urged all members of the media not to take part in the ongoing information war in the conflict in and around Ukraine...

COPENHAGEN, 25 February 2015 – OSCE Parliamentary Assembly President Ilkka Kanerva (MP, Finland) today issued the following statement on continuing restrictions imposed on OSCE monitors in Ukraine and the need for full Russian support:

NEW YORK, 25 February – Briefing the UN Security Council on Serbia’s Chairmanship priorities and co-operation between the OSCE and the UN, OSCE Chairperson in Office, Serbia’s First Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ivica Dačić, said that partnership between the two organizations is extremely important for effectively addressing security challenges in the Euro-Atlantic and Eurasian space...

The OSCE Mission to Montenegro supported a seminar in Podgorica on 23 February 2015 on the right to the presumption of innocence as articulated by the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), with a particular focus on the role of the media and public officials...

PARIS, 24 February, 2015- "We welcome the determination of the Ministers of France, Germany, Russia and Ukraine, who met in Paris today, that the package of measures agreed in Minsk must be implemented in full, without delay..."

The SMM monitored the implementation of the “Package of measures for the Implementation of the Minsk agreements”. The SMM, based on its monitoring – which was restricted by third parties and security considerations – noted that fighting continued in areas of Donetsk region including Shyrokyne and, to a lesser extent, in a number of other locations. Baseline data enabling the SMM to monitor and verify withdrawal of heavy weapons had still not been provided.

Evidence-based policy-making and legislative planning were the focus of a workshop in Tsaghkadzor, Armenia, organized by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), in co-operation with the Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Armenia and the OSCE Office in Yerevan on 23 and 24 February 2015.

The review of limitations on fundamental rights, such as freedoms of association and expression, as well as the rights of individuals to vote and run as candidates are some of the main recommendations contained in a final report by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) on the 21 December 2014 parliamentary elections in Uzbekistan.

NEW YORK, 24 February – Co-operation between the OSCE and the UN, the situation in and around Ukraine and the OSCE role in dealing with the crisis were discussed during a meeting between OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Serbia’s Foreign Minister Ivica Dačić, and UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon...

YEREVAN, 24 February 2015 – The findings and recommendations of an OSCE-supported survey exploring the main obstacles encountered by people with disabilities in accessing Armenia’s higher education system, was presented today in Yerevan...

VIENNA, 24 February 2015 – OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Dunja Mijatović today said that the continued intimidation of the media NGOs in Russia further endangers the media freedom situation. Her comments come following a recent inspection of the Mass Media Defence Centre (MMDC) by the Justice Department of the Voronezh Region...

The SMM monitored the implementation of the “Package of measures for the Implementation of the Minsk agreements”. The SMM, based on its monitoring – which was restricted by third parties and by security considerations – noted that fighting continued in and around Donetsk airport and in several other locations in the Donetsk region. Only a few ceasefire violations were noted in the Luhansk region. Two people were killed in a bomb attack in Kharkiv...

The Kyrgyz State Financial Intelligence Service in co-operation with the OSCE Co-ordinator of Economic and Environmental Activities, the OSCE Centre in Bishkek, and the World Bank presented an assessment of national risks in money laundering and financing of terrorism in the Kyrgyz Republic on 20 February 2015. Senior officials from law enforcement and public sector agencies also participated in the presentation...

As part of its long-standing efforts in the area of human rights and non-discrimination, the OSCE Mission to Serbia in co-operation with the Office for Human and Minority Rights of the Government of Serbia, on 23 February 2015 launched their new documentary film Neighbours, which showcases the achievements of National Minority Councils in protecting the rights of persons belonging to national minorities in the country...

On 22 February 2015 at 13:15hrs, an explosion occurred at a pro-Maidan march commemorating the anniversary of February 2014 events in Kharkiv (during which three people died in demonstrations), outside the Palace of Sports on Marshal Zhukova Street (7km east of the city centre). The SMM, who were monitoring the commemoration, heard the blast and felt shockwaves from their position 100m away. The SMM arrived at the scene of the explosion at 13:20hrs, and saw two dead individuals covered with Ukrainian flags and casualties being attended to. The SMM noted the explosion caused no damage to nearby buildings or windows. At 14:45hrs, a police spokesperson and a representative of the prosecutor’s office gave a press conference at the scene, confirming that an explosive device killed two (one police officer, and one civilian taking part in the march) and injured eleven, six of whom were police officers.

The SMM monitored the implementation of the “Package of measures for the Implementation of the Minsk agreements”. The SMM, based on its monitoring – which was restricted by third parties and security considerations – noted that fighting continued in and around Donetsk airport and Shyrokyne and, to a lesser extent, in a number of other locations.

SUMMARY On 20 February 2015 at 07:00hrs (Moscow time), a Russian convoy arrived at the Donetsk Border Crossing Point (BCP). A total of 15 vehicles were checked by the Russian border guard and customs services. All the vehicles crossed back into the Russian Federation (RF) at 16:05hrs on 20 February.

The SMM monitored the implementation of the “Package of measures for the Implementation of the Minsk agreements”. The SMM, based on its monitoring – which was restricted by third parties and by security considerations – noted a limited number of ceasefire violations in the Luhansk region and heard intense outgoing shelling in Donetsk city.

VIENNA, 20 February 2015 – Nearly 250 parliamentarians from more than 50 OSCE participating States held an impassioned and at-times heated debate today on the crisis in Ukraine, the Organization’s responses and the status of the Minsk package of measures aimed at a resolution...

A regional workshop on access to justice in environmental matters was organized by the Office of the Co-ordinator of OSCE Economic and Environmental Activities in Tbilisi, Georgia on 19-20 February 2015...

Experts from the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) met with Icelandic Members of the Althingi, Iceland’s parliament, and representatives from the Office of the Prime Minister, government ministries, and all levels of the election administration, in Reykjavik on 19-20 February to discuss the follow-up on the recommendations from ODIHR’s final reports on the 2009 and 2013 parliamentary elections.

The OSCE’s comprehensive approach to security, which embraces human rights and democracy, economics and environment as well as politico-military security, offers a powerful antidote to violent extremism, OSCE Secretary General Lamberto Zannier told high-level officials from around the world at the Ministerial Meeting of the White House Countering Violent Extremism Summit in Washington, DC, on 19 February 2015...

DUSHANBE, 20 February 2015 – Twenty-six officers from the Tajik border troops, the State Committee for National Security, the Ministry of Interior, Drug Control Agency and Customs Service completed a two-week training course today on combating organized crime, organized by the OSCE Office in Tajikistan.