News and press releases

BAKU, 23 August 2013 – The OSCE Office in Baku, in co-operation with the Presidential Administration of Azerbaijan and the Central Election Commission (CEC) of Azerbaijan, held today in Baku the first in a series of sessions on the importance of non-interference in election processes in the run-up to the Presidential elections on 9 October 2013...

DUSHANBE, 23 August 2013 – In an effort to strengthen the operational and analytical capacities of border management officials, twenty-two Tajik and Afghan border police officers completed today a one-week training course on detecting forged travel documents and combating illegal border crossings, organized by the OSCE Office in Tajikistan...

TASHKENT, 21 August 2013 – An OSCE-facilitated media summer camp for young journalists finished today in Kibray district of Tashkent province...

VIENNA, 21 August 2013 – The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Dunja Mijatović, today condemned an attack on Igor Larra, a correspondent for the newspaper Svoboda slova, and called on law enforcement authorities to swiftly investigate the case...

THE HAGUE, 20 AUGUST 2013 – The newly appointed OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities (HCNM), Astrid Thors, started her three-year mandate at the office of the HCNM in The Hague today. Thors has been a Member of the Parliament of Finland since 2004. She also served as Minister of Migration and European Affairs of Finland and was a Member of the European Parliament...

ASTANA, 20 August 2013- A draft law on state support for non-governmental organizations was the focus of today’s roundtable discussion organized by the Culture and Information Ministry with the support of the OSCE Centre in Astana...

An OSCE-facilitated expert meeting on the technical aspects of the implementation in Uzbekistan of the United Nations Security Council Resolution 1540 on non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, with a special focus on preventing the involvement of non-state actors, was held in Tashkent on 19 August 2013...

The OSCE Mission to Skopje is organizing a training course on combatting terrorist organizations that are linked to religious extremists, from 19 to 23 August 2013...

OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities (HCNM) Knut Vollebaek published a needs assessment report on 16 August 2013, entitled The Integration of Formerly Deported People in Crimea, Ukraine. The document seeks to provide an up-to-date analysis of the current situation of national minorities in Crimea and offers recommendations for easing inter-ethnic tensions and increasing the integration of Crimean society, as well as attempts to raise awareness of the issue...

Some 40 judges and media professionals discussed their working relations at an OSCE Mission in Kosovo-organized workshop on 15 August 2013 in Prishtinë/Priština...

The last batch of brochures to assist Kyrgyzstan’s patrol police officers in dealing with English-speaking tourists published by the OSCE Centre in Bishkek was distributed among police officers on 16 August 2013...

Promoting the role of women as political party decision-makers and candidates for public office ahead of 2014 local elections was the focus of a training session co-organized by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) in Warsaw from 12 to 13 August 2013...

SKOPJE, 13 August 2013- Today, the OSCE Mission to Skopje is honouring the Ohrid Framework Agreement (OFA), signed exactly 12 years ago on this day that brought an end to an armed conflict by codifying equitable rights and representation of all ethnic communities...

VIENNA, 12 August 2013 – The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Dunja Mijatović, today condemned an attack on Tufik Softić, a journalist with the daily newspaper Vijesti and the weekly Monitor and called on the authorities to provide protection for the journalist, and carry out a swift and thorough investigation...

WARSAW, 9 August 2013 – The Director of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), Ambassador Janez Lenarčič, expressed sadness today at the death of Nicolae Gheorghe, a prominent Roma human rights activist and former ODIHR Senior Adviser on Roma and Sinti issues...

The OSCE Special Representative and Co-ordinator for Combating Trafficking in Human Beings, Maria Grazia Giammarinaro, said at an international seminar for judges in Haifa, Israel that took place from 5 to 8 August 2013 that trafficked people’s legal rights must be upheld in court and that the overall criminal justice response must be strengthened...

TIRANA, 7 August 2013 – The Acting Head of the OSCE Presence in Albania, Robert Wilton, called today on the police, the judiciary and the Municipality of Tirana to respond to the call by the People’s Advocate for a legal response to the situation with Roma families threatened with eviction from their homes...

As part of the OSCE Office in Yerevan’s ongoing support to the community policing development 15 computers were donated on 7 August 2013 to community police stations in Yerevan...

The Acting Head of the OSCE Presence in Albania, Robert Wilton, welcomed the conclusion of the electoral process in Albania, which was marked by the declaration of the final results by the Central Election Commission on 6 August 2013...

With the mandate of the current president and bureau of the OSCE Court of Conciliation and Arbitration set to expire, the procedure to elect a new president and members of the bureau got under way on 24 July 2013...

VIENNA, 5 August 2013 – Today’s convictions and severe sentences handed down to dozens of journalists and writers violate Turkey’s commitments to free speech and independent media, OSCE media freedom representative Dunja Mijatović said today...

A programme aimed to strengthen Kyrgyzstan’ capabilities to manage and control small arms and light weapons (SALW) and stockpiles of conventional ammunition (SCA) was launched on 2 August 2013 following the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between the Government of the Kyrgyz Republic and the OSCE in Bishkek...

WASHINGTON, D.C., 2 August 2013 – A delegation from the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) was in Washington, D.C. this week to gather information on proceedings before military commissions involving detainees at the Guantanamo Detention Facility...

TIRANA, 1 August 2013 – Acting Head of OSCE Presence in Albania, Robert Wilton, met in Tirana today with the Democratic Party Chairperson Lulzim Basha to congratulate him on his election and discuss future plans of the party...

VIENNA, 1 August 2013 – In a report issued today, the OSCE Special Representative and Co-ordinator for Combating Trafficking in Human Beings, Maria Grazia Giammarinaro, recommended that the Government of Bosnia and Herzegovina take additional steps to fully implement its OSCE commitments in the fight against human trafficking...

DUSHANBE, 2 August 2013 – A total of 19 Afghan border police officers graduated today from a five-week patrolling and leadership course held by the OSCE Office in Tajikistan...

From 28 July to 4 August 2013, some 50 young women from vulnerable groups in rural areas on both sides of the Dniester/Nistru River will take part in a summer leadership school in the town of Vadul lui Voda to learn about principles of leadership, business management and job hunting...

ERGNETI, 30 July 2013- The 36th meeting under the Incident Prevention and Response Mechanism (IPRM) took place today in Ergneti, co-facilitated by the Head of the EU Monitoring Mission (EUMM) a.i. Gerard A. Fischer, and Ambassador Andrii Deshchytsia, the Special Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office for Conflicts...

Japanese Defence Minister Itsunori Onodera visited the OSCE Secretariat in Vienna on 30 July 2013 to discuss current co-operation with the Organization and explore ways to strengthen it in the future...

KORGALZHINO, Kazakhstan, 29 July 2013 – The OSCE Centre in Astana co-organized a capacity-building seminar to promote public access to environmental information and participation in decision-making and justice on environmental issues by advancing the work of the national Aarhus Centres. The event started today in Korgalzhino Natural Reserve Park, in Central Kazakhstan...

CHISINAU, 26 July 2013 – Today the Head of the OSCE Mission to Moldova welcomed the signature of the joint action plan on preservation of natural resources between the co-chairs of the expert working group on agriculture and environmental issues, Viorel Gutu and Yurii Ursul...

KYIV, 26 July 2013 – The OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Foreign Minister of Ukraine Leonid Kozhara today welcomed the consensus reached by the OSCE participating States on the mandate of the OSCE field presence in Azerbaijan...

The OSCE Office in Tajikistan held an interactive capacity-building exercise for the country’s state authorities and private sector representatives from 21 to 24 July 2013 on the outskirts of Dushanbe...

VIENNA, 25 July 2013 – Challenges, best practices and co-operation between countries and organizations in preventing and combating illicit drug trade on the Internet are key themes of an OSCE conference that started in Vienna today...

The early parliamentary elections in Bulgaria on 12 May 2013 were held in a competitive environment, but further efforts are needed to strengthen public confidence in the process and ensure balanced media coverage, the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights concludes in its final report on the vote...

ASHGABAT, 25 July 2013 – Some 25 officials of Turkmenistan’s law enforcement institutions participated in an OSCE-organized seminar on women’s rights and gender issues in Ashgabat today...

DUSHANBE, 25 July 2013 – A total of 24 Afghan and Tajik border officers completed today a 10-day training course on international border management standards and methods...

SKOPJE, 26 July 2013 – Only twenty seconds altered the future of the city: on this day in 1963, Skopje was hit by a massive earthquake, killing more than a thousand people and destroying or damaging eighty percent of all buildings. Today, as the OSCE Mission to Skopje commemorates the 50th anniversary of the disaster, the Acting Head of Mission, Ambassador Marianne Berecz, stressed that the solidarity demonstrated at that difficult time should serve as an inspiration for the future...

VIENNA, 25 July 2013 – OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Dunja Mijatović, today condemned the continued pre-trial detention of investigative journalist, Tomislav Kezarovski in Skopje...

PODGORICA, 24 July 2013 – The Head of the OSCE Mission to Montenegro Ljubomir Kopaj said today’s attacks on participants of the pride parade in Budva represent a threat to the freedom of peaceful assembly...

CHISINAU, 24 July 2013 – Today the OSCE Mission to Moldova completed the removal of more than 700 ionized radiation sources from a hospital and factories in Transdniestria...

ASHGABAT, 24 July 2013 – Investigating and prosecuting human trafficking crimes was in focus of an OSCE-organized training course that concluded in Ashgabat today...

OSCE Secretary General Lamberto Zannier visited Paris for consultations on 23 July 2013. He met French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius and other senior French officials to discuss challenges in the OSCE region...

VIENNA, 23 July 2013 –Proposals by UK Prime Minister David Cameron to impose default Internet filtering for adult and sensitive subjects is ineffective and could be open to abuse, said OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Dunja Mijatović today...

From 23 to 26 July 2013, some 70 representatives of Armenian civil society organizations and political parties took part in a conference that looked at how to improve public participation and ensure the inclusion of women in government policies...

VIENNA, 23 July 2013 –OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Dunja Mijatović today expressed her concern that the US government is forcing a reporter to testify in a criminal trial of a former Central Intelligence Agency official charged with disclosing classified information...

VIENNA, 23 July 2013 – OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Dunja Mijatović, today condemned the recent attacks on Ukrainian journalists...

VIENNA, 22 July 2013 – Following a legal review of the latest draft Law on Media and Audiovisual Media Services, the OSCE media freedom Representative Dunja Mijatović welcomed the efforts by the authorities in Skopje to harmonize the law with international standards, including OSCE commitments to media freedom and expressed concern about some remaining problematic provisions...

On 20 July 2013, some 20 government and civil society representatives took part in a seminar in Nakhchivan, an autonomous republic in Azerbaijan, on the country’s legislation regulating the prevention of domestic violence...

A group of Montenegrin members of parliament participated in an OSCE-organized training on gender equality that took place in the town of Bar on 19 and 20 July 2013...