News and press releases

WASHINGTON, 28 May 2014 – The Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office on Combating Anti-Semitism condemned the attack at the Jewish Museum in Brussels on Saturday which left four people dead. The murder in Brussels was followed the next day by the beating in Paris of two men as they left a suburban synagogue. “These two vicious incidents are a reminder to us all that anti-Semitism remains a problem in the heart of Europe,” said Rabbi Andrew Baker...

WARSAW, 27 May 2014 – The Director of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), Ambassador Janez Lenarčič, today condemned the sentencing of Azerbaijani human rights defender Anar Mammadli by a Baku court to a prison term of 5 ½ years, describing the ruling as just the latest element in a campaign by the authorities in Azerbaijan to silence those working to ensure the protection of fundamental freedoms...

STOCKHOLM, 27 May 2014 – OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Dunja Mijatović today expressed concern over a worrying trend of online censorship in Serbia over the past week; and urged the authorities to nurture uncensored debate on issues of public interest, especially in times of crisis, such as the current situation with flooding in the region...

This update is provided for the media and the public

STOCKHOLM, 27 May 2014- On the tenth anniversary of the murder of Montenegrin journalist Duško Jovanović, OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Dunja Mijatović urged the authorities to put an end to impunity...

KYIV, 27 May 2014- On Monday evening at around 18:00 the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission (SMM) to Ukraine lost contact with one of its Donetsk-based teams...

The situation in Donbas remained tense, but unchanged comparedto previous days.Public security and safety continue to be a concern in Donetsk city. The elections did not take place in much of Luhansk and Donetsk regions. Other parts of the country were calm and the elections passed peacefully.

BERN, 26 May 2014 – OSCE Chairperson-in-Office and Swiss Foreign Minister, Didier Burkhalter, rates the early presidential elections in Ukraine of May 25 as an important milestone in the process of de-escalation of the crisis. He thanked the election observation mission of the OSCE Office Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (OSCE/ODIHR) to Ukraine and the observation delegation of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly for their invaluable work...

KYIV, 26 May 2014 – The 25 May early presidential election in Ukraine was characterized by high turnout and a clear resolve by the authorities to hold what was a genuine election largely in line with international commitments and that respected fundamental freedoms, despite the hostile security environment in two eastern regions of the country, international observers concluded in a preliminary statement released today. While the election administration ran the process impartially and transparently on the whole, some decisions taken may have been beyond its authority...

VIENNA, 25 MAY 2014- OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Dunja Mijatović today said she was deeply saddened about the death of Italian photojournalist Andrea Rocchelli and his assistant Andrey Mironov in eastern Ukraine. Mijatović expressed her sincere condolences to Rocchelli’s and Mironov’s families and colleagues...

Significant tensions remain in Donetsk city and much of the surrounding region, particularly to the north and north-east of the city; and in Luhansk city and the area to the south. Other parts of Ukraine were calm.

KYIV, 23 May 2014 – Joao Soares (MP, Portugal), the Special Co-ordinator of the OSCE's short-term observation mission for Ukraine's presidential election, has arrived in Kyiv alongside fellow parliamentarians ahead of the 25 May vote...

BERN, 23 May, 2014 – Commending the Ukrainian authorities for their measures to reduce tensions, Swiss Foreign Minister and Chairperson-in-Office of the OSCE, Didier Burkhalter, called upon all sides – and particularly upon the parties of the Geneva Statement of 17 April –, to lend full support to the country in its efforts for de-escalation and for a peaceful solution of the crisis, including the holding of early presidential elections...

In Donetsk and Luhansk the situation remained volatile. Other parts of Ukraine remained calm.

VIENNA, 23 May 2014 – OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Dunja Mijatović today presented a new report produced by her office which shows a rapid and alarming deterioration of media freedom situation in Ukraine...

A public discussion on the Draft Governmental Anti-Torture Action Plan was held in Bishkek on 23 May 2014 within the framework of the OSCE-supported multilateral Memorandum of Co-operation on Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms.

Young leaders, activists, students, researchers, NGO members, aged 20 to 35, interested in learning about the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) are invited to participate in the project “Building an OSCE Youth Network in Georgia”, in Tbilisi from June to December 2014.

ANKARA, 23 May 2014 – Senior traffic safety officials from the Interior Ministry of Turkmenistan discussed traffic enforcement practices during an OSCE-organized study visit to Turkey that concluded in Ankara today...

In Donetsk and Luhansk the situation remained volatile. Other parts of Ukraine remained calm.

BISHKEK, 22 May 2014 – More than 70 participants gathered today in Bishkek to share their experiences on various models of Public Service Broadcasting (PSB) at an OSCE conference. The participants at the two-day conference will discuss experiences of six OSCE participating States that have transformed state controlled broadcaster into the public service broadcasters...

The early parliamentary elections in Serbia, held on 16 March 2014, were characterized by respect for fundamental rights and freedoms, but more needs to be done to further improve the election process, says the final report by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR).

ASTANA, 22 May 2014 – An OSCE-supported regional conference on risk management in the context of customs enforcement, including international co-operation and information exchange in order to enhance communications strategies, started today in framework of the Seventh Astana Economic Forum...

DUSHANBE, 21 May 2014-- Strengthening the role of civil society organizations in the areas of prevention of torture, protection of human rights defenders and freedom of association in Central Asia and Mongolia was the focus of a two-day regional workshop that concluded in Dushanbe today...

In Donetsk and Luhansk the situation remained volatile. Other parts of Ukraine remained calm...

COPENHAGEN, 21 May 2014 – The Finnish Institute of International Affairs has joined the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly’s Helsinki +40 Project, an initiative that will bring together security and human rights experts, politicians and academia to evaluate the OSCE's past and chart concrete lines of action for the future.

The OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Ukraine (PCU), completed on 21 May 2014 a series of trainings on uniform interpretation of election legislation for administrative and local court judges, held jointly with the Higher Administrative Court of Ukraine, the International Foundation for Electoral Systems and USAID “FAIR Justice” Project...

VIENNA, 21 May 2014 – OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Dunja Mijatović today expressed deep concern about coercive actions by law enforcement officers directed toward journalists covering demonstrations in Skopje...

SKOPJE, 21 May 2014 – The OSCE Mission to Skopje shares the grief over the recent tragic loss of a young man’s life in Gjorce Petrov which was followed by two nights of rioting. “We are monitoring these developments with increasing concerns”, said the Head of Mission, Ambassador Ralf Breth. “We understand the authorities are investigating this crime, therefore it is crucial to let the investigative and judicial process take its course.”

CHISINAU, 21 May 2014 – The Special Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office for the Transdniestrian Settlement Process Ambassador Radojko Bogojević completed today his visit to Chisinau and Tiraspol...

ASTANA, 21 May 2014 – An OSCE-supported international conference “EXPO-2017 – Energy for Sustainable Development” in the framework of the Seventh Astana Economic Forum took place today...

From 19 to 21 May 2014, the OSCE Centre in Bishkek has supported a two-day training course for 20 staff of the “Atlantis” rehabilitation centres for drug and alcohol-addicted prisoners located in seven penitentiary establishments around Kyrgyzstan...

The OSCE Mission to Moldova held on 20 May 2014 a new round of public debates on political pluralism in the context of decentralization and democratization of Moldova. The debates were held in the town of Balti in the north of the country...

A panel discussion on enhancing public participation in self-governance at the local level with a particular focus on citizens’ involvement in developing and implementing local budgets took place in Astana on 21 May 2014 within the framework of the Seventh Astana Economic Forum...

In Donetsk and Luhansk the situation remained volatile. Other parts of Ukraine remained calm...

SARAJEVO, 20 May 2014 – Sixty-five judges, prosecutors and defence attorneys dealing with war crimes processing in South-Eastern Europe and wider Europe gathered at a two-day regional conference The role of national jurisdictions in implementation of international humanitarian law – law and practice which ended in Sarajevo today...

MONTREUX, Switzerland, 20 May 2014 – Countries worldwide and in the OSCE region are frequently affected by floods, storms, earthquakes, droughts and other natural hazards. The OSCE opened a two-day event today in Montreux exploring how OSCE participating States can work together to reduce the risks posed by such disasters. Pursuing a comprehensive risk management approach that includes risks of disaster is important for the security of countries and the safety of communities. The most recent devastating floods in Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Croatia underline the relevance of this topic...

BAKU, 19 May 2014- The Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group (Ambassadors Igor Popov of the Russian Federation, Jacques Faure of France, and James Warlick of the United States of America) and the Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Ambassador Andrzej Kasprzyk, travelled to the region May 16-19. They were joined by Ambassador Pierre Andrieu, who will take over as French Co-Chair in June.

The OSCE Centre in Bishkek on 19 May 2014 donated a “Gazel” minibus for use by the Special Operational Unit of the State Committee on National Security (SCNS) of the Kyrgyz Republic...

Tensions in Donbas continued, whereas other parts of Ukraine remained calm...

VIENNA, 19 May 2014 – Senior representatives from the Russian Union of Journalists, Independent Media Trade Union of Ukraine, and the National Union of the Journalists of Ukraine met in Vienna today to discuss ways to improve journalists’ professional standards and safety in Ukraine. The unions met under the auspices of the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media...

ASTANA, 19 May 2014 – An OSCE-supported training seminar to build capacity of the court system’s press services in public outreach at the central and regional levels began today in Astana...

VIENNA, 19 May 2014 – OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Dunja Mijatović today condemned the continued harassment of journalists covering the conflict in Ukraine...

Issues related to freedom of expression and religion or belief in Armenia were the focus of a series of training courses for journalists on 26-27 April 2014 and lawyers and human rights defenders on 17-18 May 2014 in Tsaghkadzor, Armenia...

BELGRADE, 19 May 2014 – In response to severe flooding affecting Serbia, and following the request of the Government, the OSCE Mission to Serbia is providing urgent assistance to deal with the impact of the floods...

The overall situation in the country remained unchanged. Tensions continued in the Donbas region whereas other parts of Ukraine remained calm...

DUSHANBE, 16 May 2014 – Twenty-six officers from Afghan and Tajik law enforcement agencies completed a training course today in Dushanbe organized by the OSCE and the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) on refugees and asylum seekers issues...

DUSHANBE, 16 May 2014 – Twenty officers from the Afghan Border Police completed today a five-week training course on patrolling and leadership organized by the OSCE Office in Tajikistan...

VIENNA, 16 May 2014- OSCE Secretary General Lamberto Zannier authorized a 30.000 euro donation today from the Organisation's Charity Fund for immediate help to the most affected in response to severe flooding across Bosnia and Herzegovina...

In Donetsk and Luhansk the situation remained volatile. Other parts of Ukraine remained calm...

Good practices in applying a gender-sensitive approach to the development of labour migration policies were the focus of a regional workshop organized by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) in Riga on 15 and 16 May 2014.