News and press releases

ODESA, 16 April 2014- Ending her three-day visit to Ukraine, OSCE media freedom representative Dunja Mijatović today said that the media freedom situation in Ukraine has reached a very dangerous stage, and she alerted OSCE participating States that unless this trend is reversed it could contribute to the deterioration of the security situation.

BRUSSELS, 16 April 2014- OSCE Secretary General Lamberto Zannier is seeking EU support for scaling up the Organization’s Special Monitoring Mission in Ukraine to ensure objective fact-finding as the situation on the ground continues to deteriorate...

COPENHAGEN, 16 April 2014 – OSCE parliamentarians will observe the upcoming parliamentary elections in the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and provide leadership for the OSCE's short-term observer mission.

SEMEY, Kazakhstan, 16 April 2014 – Promoting the role of political parties in parliamentary activities in Kazakhstan is the main topic of a two-day seminar supported by the OSCE Centre in Astana. The event, which brought together 25 representatives of national political parties and civil society, began today in Semey, eastern region of Kazakhstan...

As the current crisis in and around Ukraine demonstrates, propaganda and deterioration of media freedom often go together to fuel a conflict, and once it starts they contribute to its escalation. The need to stop propaganda is frequently being used as a reason for blocking and jamming television and radio signals or imposing other restrictions to freedom of expression and freedom of the media. Taking into consideration the broadness and vagueness of the term propaganda, and its direct link to political speech, its blank prohibition would violate international standards for the protection of free expression and free media.

Kyiv/Odessa, April 14, 2014- During his visit to Ukraine today, Swiss Foreign Minister and OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Didier Burkhalter, expressed his full political support to the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission. By gathering information and observing, establishing facts and reporting them in an impartial manner, the monitors “are the eyes and ears of the international community in Ukraine”, Burkhalter said. In order to enhance transparency and the level of accurate information about ongoing developments, the Mission in addition to providing reports for OSCE participating States has also started a daily public reporting, he continued.

As part of the project supporting participation of Gagauz youth in public and political life, the OSCE Mission to Moldova organized the first master class for students of Comrat University, in Gagauzia, on 14 April 2014. The invited guest, Hungarian Ambassador Mátyás Szilágyi, discussed with the students the rights of national minorities in Hungary...

This update is provided for the media and the public Throughout the day of 14 April 2014, the western and central parts of Ukraine remained calm, with routine police presence, whereas the situation in the south-eastern and eastern regions of the country remained tense. The situation in Donetsk and Luhansk districts continued to cause concerns owing to the observed presence of masked individuals in several towns of the region, occupying several administrative buildings and erecting barricades and roadblocks.

SKOPJE, 14 April 2014 – Fundamental freedoms were respected and candidates were able to campaign freely in the efficiently administered 13 April 2014 presidential election in the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, although biased and unbalanced media coverage and a blurring of state and party activities created an unbalanced playing field, international observers said in a statement issued today...

An OSCE-supported regional conference presented the first guide on cybercrime designed to serve as a tool for the judiciary, prosecution and police. The two-day event, which took place on 10-11 April 2014 in Przno, Becici, was organized by the OSCE Mission to Montenegro, US Embassy in Podgorica and the Judiciary Training Centre.

The OSCE Special Monitoring Mission (SMM) assessed the security situation in the eastern Ukrainian cities of Kharkiv, Luhansk, Donetsk and the town of Sloviansk as tense and evolving, based on its observations on Sunday, 13 April 2014.

BERN, 13 April 2014 – OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Swiss Foreign Minister Didier Burkhalter today called upon all sides to move the situation away from confrontation and to act responsibly in order to reduce tensions and avoid further violence in eastern Ukraine.

VIENNA, 11 April 2014 – OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Dunja Mijatović today expressed concern about recent developments in Kazakhstan’s legislation that might restrict media freedom and Internet access...

BERN, 11 April 2014- Didier Burkhalter, OSCE Chairperson-in-Office and Swiss Foreign Minister, will travel to Ukraine and meet the Special Monitoring Mission on Monday, 14 April...

ASHGABAT, 11 April 2014 – Law-enforcement officials, judges and defense lawyers of Turkmenistan discussed best practices in preventing and combating trafficking in human beings at an OSCE-organized training course that ended in Ashgabat today...

Senior border officials from ten OSCE participating States and two Partners for Co-operation completed today a one-week course in Dushanbe on the protection of human rights when countering terrorism at the borders. The training course, which brought together 22 participants, focused on the need to

VIENNA, 11 April 2014 – Members of the Russian and Ukrainian Delegations to the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly met for talks today in Vienna on the invitation of OSCE PA President Ranko Krivokapic.

ASTANA, 11 April 2014 – Enhancing the national legislation for transition to a green economy in Kazakhstan is the main topic of an OSCE-supported workshop that started today...

A four-day visit of eight Kyrgyz officials to Riga, Latvia, aimed at learning international best practices on combatting corruption, ended on 11 April 2014...

VIENNA, 10 April 2014 – Co-ordinated efforts among states, international organizations and civil society are necessary to end the practice of torture, participants said today at the opening of a two-day OSCE meeting in Vienna...

ORHEI, Moldova, 10 April – The OSCE Mission to Moldova started today a series of public debates to strengthen the capacities of political parties in the context of decentralization and democratization of Moldova.

Within the scope of strengthening mechanisms supporting Montenegro in the area of human rights and anti-discrimination, the OSCE Mission to Montenegro and the Ministry for Human and Minority Rights organized a two–day workshop for 25 misdemeanour judges on 7 April 2014 in Przno...

DUSHANBE, 9 April 2014 – The OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) presented today the final report of the Election Observation Mission for the November 2013 presidential election at an event co-organized with the OSCE Office in Tajikistan....

The OSCE supports better integration of the Roma community in Montenegro and promotes their right to legal aid and better access to social services, Head of the OSCE Mission to Montenegro, Ambassador Janina Hrebickova, said at an event in Bijelo Polje on 7 April 2014 to mark International Roma Day...

PRISHTINË/PRIŠTINA, 9 April 2014- The legal framework on the protection of cultural and religious heritage is generally in line with international human rights standards, however, it fails to clearly define and divide institutional responsibilities in this regard, which adversely affects the protection of a rich and diverse cultural heritage, concludes a report by the OSCE Mission in Kosovo...

VIENNA, 8 April 2014 – OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Dunja Mijatović today expressed deep concern about recent convictions and pending charges against journalists for criminal defamation and insult in Croatia...

VIENNA, 8 April 2014 – OSCE Secretary General Lamberto Zannier today expressed concern about the violence in eastern Ukraine over the past days, and has called on all sides to opt for peaceful dialogue...

VIENNA, 8 April 2014 – OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Dunja Mijatović today expressed her concern about the deteriorating media freedom situation, especially regarding journalists’ safety, in eastern Ukraine...

VIENNA, 08 April 2014 – A three-day Civil Society Forum in Vienna opened yesterday, gathering civil society representatives from North America, Western, Central and Eastern Europe. The topics to be discussed include the prevention of torture, the right to privacy and non-discrimination.

BERN/BELGRADE, 8 April 2014 – The Special Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office for the Transdniestrian Settlement Process, Ambassador Radojko Bogojević, stated today that the OSCE is ready to organize the next round of 5+2 negotiations as soon as the sides agree...

The Head of the OSCE Mission in Kosovo, Ambassador Jean-Claude Schlumberger, commended the Assembly of Kosovo for adopting a declaration at its last plenary session held on 3 April 2014 on establishing a partnership with civil society...

TASHKENT, 8 April 2014 – The three-day regional seminar which opened today in Tashkent will examine enhancing the security features of travel documents to offer greater protection against terrorist and criminal use.

WARSAW, 8 April 2014 – Ambassador Janez Lenarčič, the Director of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), called today for greater efforts to improve relations and co-operation between police forces and Roma communities. On the occasion of International Roma Day, he further called on law-enforcement authorities to ensure effective police responses to violence against Roma and Sinti people in the OSCE area...

BELGRADE, 8 April 2014 – On International Roma Day, the Head of the OSCE Mission to Serbia, Ambassador Peter Burkhard, underlined the need for further efforts to ensure the greater inclusion of Roma in the public and socio-economic life...

The OSCE Centre in Bishkek supported a training course in the capital from 5 to 8 April 2014 on human rights monitoring for staff of Kyrgyzstan’s National Centre for Torture Prevention (NTPC), NGO representatives, the National Ombudsman Office and the Co-ordination Council on Human Rights...

OSCE Secretary General Lamberto Zannier visited Madrid for consultations on 7 April 2014. He held separate talks with the Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Garcia-Margallo and Spanish members of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, where he discussed challenges in the OSCE region...

BUDAPEST, 7 April 2014 – The 6 April 2014 parliamentary elections were well administered and offered voters a diverse choice, but a number of factors provided undue advantage to the ruling party, international observers said in a statement issued today. These included the manner in which a large number of changes to the legal framework were passed, restrictive campaign regulations, biased media coverage and the blurring of the separation between a ruling political party and the state...

Medical students from the Nace Bugjoni high school in Kumanovo were the recipients of the first grant from the new Building Bridges Fund, and used the money to hold a public event on 7 April 2014 to raise awareness about World Health Day.

Following their briefing of Minsk Group members in Vienna on April 3, 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) met on April 4 with the Foreign Ministers of Azerbaijan, Elmar Mammadyarov, and Armenia, Edward Nalbandian. The Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Ambassador Andrzej Kasprzyk, also participated in the meeting.

The OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities has been closely following developments in Ukraine since the office was established in 1993 to act as an instrument of conflict prevention at the earliest stage. The successive High Commissioners have paid particular attention to the inter-ethnic situation in Crimea, legislation regulating minority rights and language use, and the education of national minorities...

Experts from OSCE participating States, and representatives of academia and civil society came together for a workshop in Vienna on 4 April 2014 to discuss the first study on existing National Action Plans on implementing Women, Peace and Security commitments in the OSCE region...

ASTANA, 4 April 2014- The acting OSCE Co-ordinator for Combating Trafficking in Human Beings, Ruth Freedom Pojman, noted positive legislative and policy developments in preventing and combating this form of modern-day slavery at the conclusion of an official country visit from 1 to 4 April 2014...

TIRANA, 4 April 2014 – Special Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office on Gender Issues June Zeitlin and ODIHR Senior Adviser on Roma and Sinti issues Mirjam Karoly paid a three-day country visit to Albania from 2 to 4 April...

DUSHANBE, 4 April 2014 – Twenty officers from the Main Directorate of Tajik Border Troops completed today a regular five-week training course on patrolling and leadership, which was held as part of the OSCE Office’s patrol programming and leadership project...

SARAJEVO, 3 April 2014 – There is a notable commitment among the judiciary in BiH to deliver justice to survivors of sexual violence in conflict, according to a report launched today by the OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina....

Ambassador Natalia Zarudna, Head of the OSCE Centre in Astana, spoke on the OSCE’s role in regional security at a conference in Astana on 3 April 2014, dedicated to the function of international organizations in Central Asian security...

Over recent years the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media has reacted on a number of occasions when an OSCE participating States denied entry to journalists from other countries. Following recent instances where journalists from Russia were denied entry into Ukraine, as well as reports of de facto authorities in Crimea denying entry to a number of journalists crossing the border of the peninsula, the Representative would like to restate her position on this issue...

The OSCE supported an advanced law enforcement training course for 15 Afghan customs officers from 22 March to 3 April 2014, which took place at the Kyrgyz Customs Centre in Leninskoe village, near Bishkek...

BERN, 2 April 2014 – OSCE Chairperson-in-Office and Swiss Foreign Minister, Didier Burkhalter today expressed satisfaction with the state of deployment of the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine and announced the appointment of the Chief Monitor and Deputy Chief Monitors.

The ongoing Montenegro Demilitarization (MONDEM) Programme is a positive example of co-operation between Montenegro and the OSCE, and participating States should continue their support in order to complete the final phase of the project, Milica Pejanović-Djurisić, Montenegro’s Defence Minister told the OSCE Forum for Security Co-operation on 2 April 2014...