News and press releases

Prosecutors working on organized crime and asset recovery cases in Serbia and a judge from the Belgrade High Court visited the German Federal Criminal Police Office in Wiesbaden for a study visit on 24 and 25 January.

WARSAW, 23 January 2023 – Following the demonstrations that took place across Kazakhstan in January 2022, the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) is continuing to monitor trials in the country to assess their conduct and contribute to their overall transparency and fairness

In congratulating journalists in Montenegro, noting 23 January commemorates the inaugural publication in 1871, of “Crnogorac” (Montenegrin), the weekly magazine for politics and culture in Cetinje, Dominique Waag, Head of OSCE Mission to Montenegro, said: “Celebrating this day reminds us of the importance of investigative journalism in democracies.”

The Mission to Skopje’s official Facebook page has been recently hacked.

On 15 January 2023, reports with video footage and images appeared on social media showing OSCE-branded vehicles being transported on trucks through the Russian Federation border checkpoint of Izvaryne into the Luhansk region of Ukraine. These vehicles had been temporarily stored in a parking

Amidst the continuing aggression against Ukraine, the Forum for Security Co-operation (FSC) must do all it can to help stop the war and diminish its impact on Ukraine and the region, said Josip Brkić, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Bosnia and Herzegovina, in opening the country’s FSC Chairmanship on 18 January 2023.

From 9 to 11 January 2023, OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities Kairat Abdrakhmanov conducted an official visit to Albania. During his visit, he met with representatives of the Ministries of Europe and Foreign Affairs, Education and Sports, Culture, the Institute of Statistics/INSTAT, the

ERGNETI, 17 January 2023- The 110th Incident Prevention and Response Mechanism (IPRM) was held in Ergneti today, under the co-facilitation of Dr. Tibor Kozma, Acting Head of the EU Monitoring Mission in Georgia (EUMM) and Ambassador Viorel Moşanu, Special Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office for the South Caucasus.

The September 2022 early parliamentary elections in Italy were competitive, with fundamental freedoms respected. Media coverage of the campaign was extensive and varied, creating the conditions for citizens to make an informed choice. The elections were run professionally and efficiently, and the

KYIV, 16 January 2023 –The OSCE Chairman-in-Office, Minister of Foreign Affairs of North Macedonia Bujar Osmani, completed his visit to Kyiv today.

Vienna, 12 January 2023 — In these critical times for European security and stability, the Chairpersonship of North Macedonia will strive to manage and prevent conflicts and alleviate suffering by placing the people at the heart of its work, said Bujar Osmani, Foreign Minister of North Macedonia and OSCE Chairman-in-Office, during his address to the OSCE Permanent Council in Vienna today.

SKOPJE, 10 January 2023- The 2023 OSCE Chairman-in-Office, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of North Macedonia Bujar Osmani, held two separate telephone conversations with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Armenia, Ararat Mirzoyan, and the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Jeyhun Bayramov. The conversations with the ministers focused on the situation in the South Caucasus region, with a particular emphasis on the Lachin corridor.

VIENNA/SKOPJE, 1 January 2023 — Today, North Macedonia takes over the OSCE Chair with a main focus on the needs of the people.

Twenty-three Kosovo Police officers and representatives of civil society organizations took part in the OSCE Mission in Kosovo and Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) Training against Hate Crime for Law Enforcement (TAHCLE), held from 14 to 16 December 2022. TAHCLE is

On 27 December, the OSCE Project Coordinator in Uzbekistan, together with the National Commission for Combating Trafficking in Human Beings, the Republican Commission on the Advancement of the Role of Women in Society, Gender Equality and the Family, and the Committee on Women and Gender Equality of the Senate of the Oliy Majlis of the Republic of Uzbekistan, held an opening ceremony of the "Women's Education and Support Center" under the Department of Family and Women of Kibray district, Tashkent region.

Between October and November 2022, the OSCE Mission in Kosovo facilitated 48 lectures on media and information literacy for students at public universities in Mitrovicë/Mitrovica South, Pejë/Peć and Gjakovë/Ðakovica. A total of 185 students participated in these lectures and acquired key media

Ten journalists covering security and small and light weapons (SALW) issues from different media outlets in Albania travelled to Belgrade from 19 to 22 December 2022 to learn from the best regional practices and share experience with Serbian colleagues. Representatives from the Albanian Ministry of

The 16 members of the newly appointed Panel of Experts on Freedom of Assembly and Association under the auspices of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) will start their four-year term on 1 January 2023. Coming from a variety of backgrounds, including academia, legal

About 50 regional officials from the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Prosecutor General’s Office and the State Committee for National Security of the Kyrgyz Republic participated at two in-person trainings courses, which took place from 16 – 18 April in Osh, from 12 – 13 September in Cholpon-Ata and from 6 to 8 December in Bishkek.

The June 2022 parliamentary elections in France took place in a competitive and pluralistic environment, with all fundamental freedoms respected. Voters received ample and diverse information that enabled them to make an informed choice among numerous candidates registered in an inclusive manner.

On 5-16 December 2022, the Border Security and Management Unit of the OSCE Transnational Threats Department (TNTD), in close co-operation with the OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina organized a two-week train-the-trainers course on identifying forged documents and impostors at border crossing points with the use of specialised equipment in Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina.

On 16 December, the OSCE Mission to Montenegro provided support to Women’s Safe House and SOS Podgorica, NGOs that operate shelters for victims of domestic violence. Support to Women’s Safe House will enable it to develop a register of violence cases while support to SOS Podgorica, which includes surveillance equipment, will provide additional security to its residents.

Border security challenges in the Central Asian region, with an emphasis on the developments in Afghanistan and the resulting transnational threats affecting neighboring States, were the focus of the 17th Central Asia Border Management Initiative (CABMI) Conference held from 13 to 15 December 2022 in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.

WARSAW, 16 December 2022 – Immigration detention is never in the best interest of children and we need to increase efforts to end it entirely, the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) said ahead of this year’s International Migrants Day.

SARAJEVO, 15 December 2022 — In light of the Council of the European Union’s (EU) statement granting Bosnia and Herzegovina candidacy status, Head of the OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brian Aggeler, made the following statement:

The OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Ministry of Security of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ) co-organized a two-day conference on the subject of preventing money laundering and financing of terrorism to increase the awareness of the key stakeholders on the most relevant developments and challenges.

BANJA LUKA, 15 December 2022 – Ambassador Brian Aggeler, Head of the OSCE Mission to BiH, completed his visit to Doboj, Banja Luka and Donja Gradina today.

An opinion poll conducted in September 2022 reveals that almost half of the citizens surveyed generally have a positive attitude towards the country’s State Prosecution Services, and trust this institution. Over 40 per cent of respondents noticed positive change in the work of the State Prosecution Service during the last 12 months, while 59.8 per cent believe that State Prosecution Service is generally efficient in their work...

Between 12 and 15 December 2022, the OSCE’s Transnational Threats Department facilitated a training course on gender-responsive policing of violence against women and girls for 295 police cadets at the Sarajevo Police Academy.

The OSCE Presence in Albania and the Constitutional Court announced today the winners of a competition for drafting of individual constitutional complaints. Twenty-seven students from public and private law faculties across Albania participated in the competition, and their submissions were marked

National and international experts gathered today in Tirana to discuss measures to combat technology-facilitate trafficking in human beings in Albania. The OSCE Presence in Albania and the OSCE’s Office of the Special Representative and Coordinator for Combatting Trafficking in Human Beings

On 14 December, the OSCE Transnational Threats Department’s Action against Terrorism Unit (TNTD/ATU) and the Spanish National Police concluded a two-day training on “Understanding the Role of Gender in Preventing and Countering Violent Extremism and Radicalization that Lead to Terrorism” (P/CVERLT) in Madrid, Spain.

From 5 to 9 December 2022, the OSCE Presence in Albania organized a study visit for Albanian officials to the Italian special detention regime 41-bis facilities. The visit was the first of this kind in Albania, following the introduction of the special regime in 2020 based on the model of the

The OSCE Project Co-ordinator Office in Uzbekistan in cooperation with the National Commission on Combating Human Trafficking and Forced Labour has started a pilot anti-trafficking simulation exercise at the premises of the Academy under the General Prosecutor’s Office on 12 December 2022 in Tashkent. Approximately 50 professionals from law enforcement agencies will gather for a five-day simulation exercise, including the representatives from the General Prosecutor’s Office, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Academy under the General Prosecutor’s Office, Agency on Social and Medical Support, lawyers and civil society organizations.

From 20 November to 10 December the Office of the Co-ordinator of OSCE Economic and Environmental Activities (OCEEA) in co-operation with the Ministry of Digital Transformation of Ukraine, delivered four online training sessions aimed at improving the capacities of investigative journalists and civil society on data-journalism, data analysis and visualisation through the use of open data and digital tools.

The OSCE held a regional workshop on Fostering Women’s Participation in the Energy Sector in Central Asia, jointly with the Qazaq Green Renewable Energy Sources (RES) Association and with in-kind support from UNDP Kazakhstan in Astana, Kazakhstan, on 7-8 December. The event offered a platform for 30 representatives from energy ministries, industry, women’s energy associations, and academia from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan to discuss regional opportunities and challenges facing women in the energy sector.

WARSAW, 10 December 2022 – All those who mark Human Rights Day this year do so deeply troubled by the current state of affairs. Russia continues to wage its war of aggression against Ukraine, targeting civilian infrastructure and leaving millions without heat or power as winter closes in. Already a legacy of war crimes and wanton destruction has been revealed. Within Russia, the country’s moral and intellectual infrastructure is also being destroyed, with minorities targeted and journalists and human rights defenders fleeing the country.

On 6 and 7 December, the OSCE’s Transnational Threat Department (TNTD) conducted a two-day needs assessment visit in Tbilisi on the status of the implementation of Georgia’s Advance Passenger Information and Passenger Name Record (API/PNR) system.

In responding to the survey, every second parent agrees that their children find it challenging to control how much time they spend in front of a screen. Parents largely believe that the time they spend accessing available content, especially through television and mobile devices, has a negative impact on their mental health and development. Content of children programs often promote gender inequality and promotes stereotypes. Almost every child surveyed owns a mobile phone. In the past 12 months, both children and parents say that they have not visited the theatre, but 36.9% of surveyed children read printed or electronic books unlike 15.5% of their parents.

BELGRADE, 9 December 2022- At a ceremony held today in Belgrade, the OSCE Mission to Serbia presented its 2022 Person of the Year Award to Ms. Miljana Pejić, Secretary General of the National Youth Council of Serbia (KOMS).

The OSCE approach to responding to hate crimes was presented at an OSCE-organized introductory online seminar that took place on 9 December 2022. The OSCE Centre in Ashgabat organized the event in co-operation with the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), to raise the

On 6 December 2022, the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Teresa Ribeiro, met with Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan Roman Vassilenko, to discuss various media freedom issues and developments in the country’s legal regime regarding media freedom, including on a broad range

WARSAW, 9 December 2022 – Tomorrow’s Human Rights Day reminds us of the universality embodied in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the entire international human rights framework, but also of the efforts still needed to achieve its guarantees in both word and spirit, said the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR).

PODGORICA, 8 December 2022- The Head of the OSCE Mission to Montenegro, Dominique Waag, emphasised the importance of quickly appointing judges to the Constitutional Court today.

On 6 December, the OSCE Transnational Threats Department, in close co-operation with the OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Uzbekistan, organized a fourth webinar for cadets and lecturers from the Academy of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Uzbekistan in Tashkent. The purpose of this initiative is to raise awareness about key trends and developments in contemporary policing among students and staff of the Academy.

The role of the media in the regional reconciliation process is the focus of a three-day training course that started on 7 December in Budva, organized by the Regional Youth Co-operation Office (RYCO) Local Branch Office with the support of the OSCE Mission to Montenegro.

On 8 December, the OSCE Mission to Montenegro published a document Handbook on media reporting on gender-based violence against women, a guide for media professionals on how to report about gender-based violence against women and girls in line with ethical principles and standards. National TV stations, newspapers, news portals and local broadcasters in Montenegro have received copies of the handbook.

The OSCE facilitated working group meetings on youth crime prevention that brought together representatives of the Ministry of Education and Science, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Prosecutor General’s Office, the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Culture, Information, Sports and Youth Policy of the Kyrgyz Republic, and experts from Kyrgyz civil society.

A two-day annual meeting of “Police Persons of Trust”, organized by the Police Directorate with the support of the OSCE Mission to Montenegro and the Centre for Integrity in the Defence Sector from Norway, begun on 7 December in Budva.

OSCE early warning and conflict prevention instruments were discussed at a lecture course organized by the OSCE Centre in Ashgabat to mark the forthcoming International Neutrality Day. The Centre organized the lecture-course for 100 students and faculty from the Institute of International Relations