News and press releases

BELGRADE, 29 January 2015- OSCE Chairperson-in-Office and Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica Dačić’s meetings at the OSCE Mission to Serbia today mark the beginning of his visits to the Organization's field operations aimed at conveying the Chairmanship’s support for their work and activities, as well as highlighting their importance in building democratic institutions, the rule of law, and respect for human rights. It also signifies the importance the Chairmanship places on the region...

COPENHAGEN, 29 January 2015-- The Chair of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly’s Committee on Democracy, Human Rights and Humanitarian Questions, Isabel Santos (MP, Portugal), today issued the following statement on the Russian Supreme Court’s rejection of a request by the Justice Ministry to close the human rights group Memorial:..

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

VIENNA, 28 January 2015 – OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Dunja Mijatović today said she welcomed the softened restrictions for commercials on pay television channels, but she also reiterated her call ending the ban completely...

The SMM continued to monitor the implementation of the provisions of the Minsk Protocol and Memorandum and the work of the Joint Centre for Control and Co-ordination (JCCC). In Donetsk the SMM observed damage caused by recent shelling. The SMM went to the border crossing points between Ukraine and the Russian Federation, Marynivka and Uspenka...

WARSAW, 28 January 2014 – Michael Georg Link, Director of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), welcomed today’s rejection by the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation of a Justice Ministry request for the closure of the human rights group Memorial...

The SMM continued to monitor the implementation of the provisions of the Minsk Protocol and Memorandum and the work of the Joint Centre for Control and Co-ordination (JCCC). Russian Federation military officers and “LPR” and “DPR” members are still absent from the JCCC headquarters in Debaltseve.

PRISHTINË/PRIŠTINA, 27 January 2015 – The Head of the OSCE Mission in Kosovo, Ambassador Jean-Claude Schlumberger, has strongly condemned the violence that erupted today during the opposition protests which left dozens of police officers and protesters injured.

VIENNA, 27 January 2015 – More than 200 representatives of OSCE participating States, Partners for Co-operation, non-governmental organizations, academia and international organizations discussed ways to further develop the OSCE’s role in the area of water governance at the first Preparatory Meeting of the 2015 OSCE Economic and Environmental Forum...

VIENNA, 27 January, 2015 – OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Dunja Mijatović today sent a letter to the Speaker of the National Assembly of Republika Srpska, warning that the draft Law on Public Peace and Order tabled for adoption at the next session could be used to limit free expression on social media...

KRAKOW, 27 January 2015- The Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group (Ambassadors Igor Popov of the Russian Federation, James Warlick of the United States of America, and Pierre Andrieu of France) met with Foreign Minister of Azerbaijan Elmar Mammadyarov today in Krakow. The Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Ambassador Andrzej Kasprzyk, also participated in the meeting...

COPENHAGEN, 27 January 2015 – OSCE Parliamentary Assembly President Ilkka Kanerva (MP, Finland) today called on Russia to close its international border with Ukraine to help counter the alarming increase in violence in eastern Ukraine in recent weeks...

BELGRADE, 27 January 2014- The OSCE Chairperson-in-Office and Serbia’s Foreign Minister Ivica Dačić expressed concern at recent developments on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border and the Line of Contact. “I would like to urge the sides to ensure a full ceasefire and cessation of hostilities as stipulated in the May 1994 agreement,” he said. “I deplore the upsurge in acts of violence resulting in loss of lives, and I call on the sides to demonstrate responsibility and avoid steps that would lead to further escalation...

DUSHANBE, 27 January 2015 – The first learning course of a six-month blended programme for instructors from the border academies of Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan was held on 20-27 January 2015 at the OSCE Border Management Staff College (BMSC) in Dushanbe...

VIENNA, 27 January 2015 – OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Dunja Mijatović today called on the authorities in Azerbaijan to ensure the safety of Gunay Ismayilova, a media lawyer and deputy chair of the Institute for Reporter’s Freedom and Safety (IRFS), following a recent attack...

BELGRADE/AUSCHWITZ/VIENNA, 27 January 2015 – As people across the OSCE region today commemorated the 70th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau, OSCE officials highlighted the importance for societies to stand firmly against the contemporary challenges of anti-Semitism, racism and other forms of intolerance...

VIENNA, 26 January 2015- A special session of the OSCE Permanent Council was convened today by the Serbian OSCE Chairmanship in light of the rapid deterioration of the situation in eastern Ukraine, and particularly the shelling of civilian areas in Mariupol on 24 January.

VIENNA, 26 January 2015 – OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Dunja Mijatović today condemned a recent attack on three journalists covering demonstrations in Prishtinë/Priština...

The SMM continued to monitor the implementation of the provisions of the Minsk Protocol and Memorandum and the work of the Joint Centre for Control and Co-ordination (JCCC). The shelling of a residential area in Mariupol city on 24 January resulted in 30 dead and 102 injured, according to latest media reports...

VIENNA, 26 January 2015 – OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Dunja Mijatović today condemned the raid by masked forces in Crimea on ATR television station in the city of Simferopol.

VIENNA, 25 January 2015 – In light of the rapid deterioration of the situation in eastern Ukraine, including yesterday’s shelling of Mariupol and the rising number of civilian casualties, the Serbian Chairmanship of the OSCE today announced that a special meeting of the OSCE Permanent Council will be held on Monday, 26 January at 16:00 hrs in Vienna...

At approximately 09:15hrs on 24 January, the SMM in government-controlled Mariupol heard at its location incoming massed Multi-Launch Rocket System (MLRS) attacks from a north-east direction, consisting of an extremely heavy barrage lasting 35 seconds. Twenty minutes later the SMM received information from the Joint Centre for Control and Co-ordination (JCCC) in Mariupol and other sources, that shelling had occurred in the area of Olimpiiska Street, in Ordzhonikidzevskyi district, 8.5 km north-east of Mariupol city centre, approximately 400 metres from a Ukrainian Armed Forces checkpoint...

The SMM continued to monitor the implementation of the provisions of the Minsk Protocol and Memorandum and the work of the Joint Centre for Control and Co-ordination (JCCC). In Odessa the SMM monitored a court hearing related to the 2 May events...

KYIV, 24 January 2015- The Trilateral Contact Group (TCG), consisting of senior representatives of Ukraine, the Russian Federation and the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, convened an urgent meeting in Kyiv on 24 January 2015...

KYIV, 24 January, 2015 – The Head of the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine, Ambassador Ertugrul Apakan, described the shelling in Mariupol today – which according to the Mission’s initial findings caused at least 17 deaths and many more injuries – as a reckless, indiscriminate and disgraceful attack aimed at a heavily-populated residential area whose victims included women, children and the elderly...

DONETSK, 24 January 2015 – On Thursday the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine (SMM) looked into yet another tragic incident: our observations in Donetsk, Debaltseve and Volnovakha confirmed the injuries and loss of civilian lives during the past week...

The OSCE Chairperson-in-Office and Serbia’s Foreign Minister Ivica Dačić told Serbia’s news agency Tanjug on 23 January 2015 that he is “deeply concerned about the escalation of the conflict in eastern Ukraine, particularly the use of heavy weapons”, including unguided Grad rockets...

The SMM continued to monitor the implementation of the provisions of the Minsk Protocol and Memorandum and the work of the Joint Centre for Control and Co-ordination (JCCC). The SMM saw the aftermath of a shelling incident in Donetsk. The SMM witnessed many instances of heavy artillery fire and military movements...

COPENHAGEN, 23 January 2015 – The Chair of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly’s Committee on Democracy, Human Rights and Humanitarian Questions, Isabel Santos (MP, Portugal), today expressed concern about the sentencing of prominent Tajikistani lawyer and opposition figure Shukhrat Kudratov and the state of civil and political liberties in the country...

The OSCE-supported Common Contact Centre at Blace border crossing point was officially opened on 23 January 2014. The Centre will contribute to fighting transnational organized crime through strengthening and sustaining the country’s existing cross-border co-operation with neighbouring Kosovo...

The SMM continued to monitor the implementation of the provisions of the Minsk Protocol and Memorandum and the work of the Joint Centre for Control and Co-ordination (JCCC). The Russian Federation Armed Forces representative at the JCCC expressed the intention of moving out of Debaltseve due to the deteriorating security situation. The SMM visited the crossing point in Uspenka, at the border between Ukraine and the Russian Federation...

At 08:40hrs on 22 January, the “Emergency Services Department” of the “Donetsk People’s Republic” (“DPR”) informed the SMM of an alleged shelling incident – involving multiple fatalities – at 42 Kuprina Street, 4.4km south-south-west of city-centre Donetsk.

PARIS, 22 January 2015- The Personal Representatives of the Chairperson-in-Office on Tolerance and Non-Discrimination conducted a country visit to France from 19-21 January 2015 – their first joint visit under the 2015 OSCE Chairmanship of Serbia...

VIENNA, 22 January 2015 – OSCE Media Freedom Representative Dunja Mijatović today raised her concern about the sentence handed down to journalist Sergei Reznik, an investigative journalist and blogger in Rostov-on-Don, Russia...

Remembering the Holocaust reminds us that our societies still have lessons to learn and more work to do to counter prejudice, anti-Semitism and xenophobia was the main message at the 22 January meeting of the OSCE Permanent Council, which was dedicated to commemorating International Holocaust Remembrance Day (27 January)...

The OSCE Mission to Skopje donated furniture and IT equipment to the Forestry Police on 22 January 2015 in Skopje. The aim is to strengthen its capacities in dealing with security-related incidents and fighting organized forestry crime.

DUSHANBE, 22 January 2015 – An OSCE-supported roundtable today concluded the work of civil society representatives on the formation of the Public Council for police reform assistance in Kulyab and Kurgan-Tyube of Khatlon region in Tajikistan...

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...

The SMM continued to monitor the implementation of the provisions of the Minsk Protocol and Memorandum and the work of the Joint Centre for Control and Co-ordination (JCCC). The SMM observed shelling damage and continued shelling, especially in Donetsk city.

COPENHAGEN, 21 January 2015 – A senior delegation from the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly led by President Ilkka Kanerva (MP, Finland) and human rights and humanitarian committee Chairperson Isabel Santos (MP, Portugal) today visited a refugee camp in Harran, Turkey, near the country’s border with Syria, to observe conditions and raise awareness of the worsening human toll of the Syrian crisis...

VIENNA, 21 January 2015 – Holocaust remembrance will be the focus of the next meeting of the OSCE Permanent Council tomorrow, Thursday 22 January 2015, in light of the upcoming International Holocaust Remembrance Day (27 January)...

VIENNA, 21 January 2015 – OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Dunja Mijatović said today that Monday’s court decision to dismiss defamation charges against the daily newspaper Nový Čas contributes to media freedom and upholds the right of journalists to report on matters of public interest...

BISHKEK, 21 January 2015- The OSCE Centre in Bishkek and the Kyrgyz State Penitentiary Service today opened a roundtable discussion to evaluate progress on implementing the National Strategy on the Development of the Penitentiary System “UMUT 2”...

The OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) on 19 January 2015 released a publication to provide better guidance for election observers in examining campaign finance as part of the overall assessment of elections.

The SMM continued to monitor the implementation of the provisions of the Minsk Protocol and Memorandum and the work of the Joint Centre for Control and Co-ordination (JCCC). The SMM observed in Donetsk city and surroundings damage caused by recent shelling.

On 20 January 2015 the 51st meeting under the Incident Prevention and Response Mechanism (IPRM) took place in Ergneti, co-facilitated by Ambassador 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...

BELGRADE, 20 January 2015- The OSCE Chairperson-in-Office and Serbia’s Foreign Minister Ivica Dačić today welcomed a Declaration adopted by representatives of the OSCE’s 57 participating States at a special meeting of the Permanent Council in Vienna, calling for an immediate ceasefire in Ukraine and the full implementation of the Minsk agreements. He welcomed the Permanent Council’s prompt response to the rapidly deteriorating situation on the ground...

VIENNA, 20 January 2015 – OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Dunja Mijatović today with the management of Klix.ba news portal to discuss the recent police raid on their offices and attempts by law enforcement officials to identify journalists’ sources.

VIENNA, 20 January 2015 – Mongolian Foreign Minister H.E. Mr. Lundeg Purevsuren today outlined priorities of the Mongolian Chairmanship of the OSCE Forum for Security Co-operation for the first trimester of 2015 at the first meeting of the Forum this year in Vienna, pledging to further expand the dialogue and co-operation with the OSCE Asian Partners and foster security in the region.

DUSHANBE, 20 January 2015 – The OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) today formally opened an election observation mission (EOM) for the 1 March parliamentary elections in the Republic of Tajikistan. The mission’s deployment follows an official invitation from the Tajikistan authorities...