News and press releases

BELGRADE, 8 May 2001- The OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (OSCE/ODIHR) and the OSCE Mission to the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia met with representatives from the Serbian election administration,

YEREVAN, 8 May 2001-- Young teachers, researchers and students will discuss gender issues and gender education in Armenia at a two-day conference on Gender Culture in Modern Armenian Society

BUCHAREST, 7 May 2001- The OSCE Chairman-in-Office, Romanian Foreign Minister Mircea Geoana, strongly condemns the violent riots in the Serb entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina directed against the reconstruction of destroyed mosques...

VIENNA, 7 May 2001-- Freimut Duve, the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, appeals to the media in the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia to refrain from any form of \"hate speech\"...

BUCHAREST, 7 May 2001-- The Chairman in Office of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe welcomes the release from prison of Mr. Ilie Ilascu, after nine years of detention.

SARAJEVO, 7 May 2001- The Acting Head of the OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina condemns in the strongest terms today\'s outbreak of violence in Banja Luka...

SARAJEVO, 7 May 2001- The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina, condemns in the strongest possible terms the disturbances in Trebinje on Saturday.

ALMATY, 7 May 2001-- The President of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe Parliamentary Assembly, Mr. Adrian Severin, visited Kazakhstan as part of his official visit to three of the Central Asian OSCE participating States.

TASHKENT, 4 May 2001-- Access to information, public participation in decision-making, and access to justice in environmental matters was the topic for discussion during a recent two-day workshop held in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.

KYIV, 5 May 2001 (OSCE)-- On 5 and 6 May, judges from regional courts of Ukraine participated in a environmental law workshop, organized by the OSCE Project Co-ordinator in co-operation with the Supreme Court of Ukraine and the NGO \"Ecopravo\".

COPENHAGEN, 4 May 2001-- The Head of the OSCE Office in Yerevan (Armenia), Ambassador Roy Reeve, will visit the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly International Secretariat, 7-8 May 2001.

PRISTINA, 4 May 2001-- Lawyers from across Kosovo will gather in Pristina this Saturday, May 5th, to discuss a new Code of Ethics...

VIENNA, 4 May 2001-- During a recent visit to Moldova by permanent representatives of OSCE participating States, members of the delegation had an opportunity to visit Mr. Ilie Ilascu in the jail in Tiraspol (Moldova).

BUCHAREST, 4 May 2001-- The Chairman-in-Office of the OSCE, Romanian Foreign Minister Mircea Geoana, has strongly condemned the recent increase in violence in the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia...

BISHKEK, 3 May 2001-- From 1 to 3 May 2001, the President of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, Adrian Severin, visited the Republic of Kyrgyzstan as part of his official visit to three of the Central Asian OSCE participating States...

SARAJEVO, 3 May 2001- On the 10th anniversary of the World Press Freedom Day, and the first anniversary of the FreeMedia Helpline, the OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina views the media situation in BiH as improving but not secure

ZAGREB, 2 May 2001-- Freedom of expression in Croatia has improved and obstacles to freedom of the press have lessened but more can be done to improve the media situation in Croatia, said the Head of the OSCE Mission to Croatia, Bernard Poncet...

VIENNA, 2 May 2001-- On the occasion of World Press Freedom Day, 3 May, the Organization for Security and Co-operation (OSCE) Representative on Freedom of the Media, Freimut Duve, issued the following statement

PRISTINA, 2 May 2001-- The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), Mission in Kosovo, will hold a one-day seminar on Thursday, 3 May, on the role of opposition political parties in municipal governance.

SKOPJE, 2 May 2001-- The following statement regarding the recent violence in the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia was issued today by Ambassador Robert Frowick

DUSHANBE, 1 May 2001-- From 29 April to 1 May 2001, the President of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly Mr. Adrian Severin traveled to Tajikistan as part of his official visit of three of the Central Asian participating States of the OSCE...

BUCHAREST, 29 April 2001- The Chairman-in-Office of the OSCE, Romanian Foreign Minister Mircea Geoana, strongly condemns the fatal assault, reportedly by ethnic Albanian extremists, against Macedonian security troops...

DUSHANBE, 27 April 2001-- Following an invitation by the Tajikistan authorities, the OSCE Secretary General, Jan Kubis, has paid a two-day visit to Dushanbe, where he held talks with high-ranking Tajik officials...

ZAGREB, 27 April 2001-The OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (OSCE/ODIHR) has established an Election Observation Mission for the 20 May local government elections in Croatia...

VIENNA, 27 April 2001- At today\'s Vienna meeting of the Stability Pact Task Force on Trafficking in Human Beings, positive signals were given by OSCE participating States...

COPENHAGEN, 26 April 2001-- The press statement that was posted on 20 April 2000 concerning the political situation in Ukraine should not have implied that it was an official statement of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly

PRISTINA, 26 April 2001-- The Kosovo Police Service School and the United Arab Emirates KFOR contingent in Vushtrri/Vucitrn will host a 10-kilometre \"Run for Kosovo\" on Saturday, 28 April.

SARAJEVO, 26 April 2001-- The Head of the OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina, Ambassador Robert L. Barry, and Deputy Head of Mission, Ambassador Dieter Woltmann, met with leaders from the Croat Coordination yesterday afternoon...

ALMATY, 26 April 2001-- The President of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, Mr. Adrian Severin, will visit Kazakhstan on 28 April and 3-4 May 2001 as part of his tour of three of the Central Asian participating states of the OSCE

ALMATY, 25 April 2001-- The first session in a new Human Rights Monitoring Training Programme will be held starting at 9:30 a.m. on Thursday, 26 April, in Almaty, Kazakhstan.

VIENNA, 24 April 2001-- Freimut Duve, the OSCE Representative on Freedom of Media, has decided not to visit Belarus as scheduled 25 April 2001...

PODGORICA, 23 April 2001-- The April 22 parliamentary election in Montenegro, Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, was generally in line with international commitments for democratic elections, concluded the International Election Observation Mission...

BUCHAREST, 23 April 2001-- The Chairman-in-Office of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, Romanian Foreign Minister Mircea Geoana, has welcomed the satisfactory conduct of yesterday\'s parliamentary elections in Montenegro...

COPENHAGEN, 20 April 2001-- The OSCE Parliamentary Assembly has decided to share the 2001 OSCE Prize for Journalism and Democracy between Spanish journalist José Luis LÓPEZ DE LACALLE and Ukrainian journalist Georgiy GONGADZE.

BUCHAREST, 20 April 2001-- Romanian Foreign Minister, Mircea Geoana, the Chairman-in-Office of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, has firmly condemned the latest terrorist attacks in Kosovo

SARAJEVO, 20 April 2001- Because of persistent mischaracterization and inaccurate statements by certain officials with regard to the election law in Bosnia and Herzegovina

PRISTINA, 19 April 2001-- Myriad problems continue to hamper the development of a fair criminal justice system, according to a report produced by the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), Mission in Kosovo.

PRISTINA, 18 April 2001-- About 120 law students have started to take a practical approach to their studies by attending a new programme organized by the Kosovo Law Centre (KLC).

BELGRADE, 19 April 2001- Key government and NGO officials involved in the fight against trafficking in human beings met in Belgrade for the first time to begin a dialog on developing a national anti-trafficking strategy.

TRAVNIK, 19 April 2001-- The Head of the OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina, Ambassador Robert L. Barry, visited the Central Bosnia Canton today to meet with municipal and cantonal officials

VIENNA, 18 April 2001-- Freimut Duve, the OSCE Representative on Freedom of Media, has expressed his serious concern about the closure of the independent newspaper Segodnya and dismissal of all staff of the independent magazine Itogi in Moscow.

PRISTINA, 18 April 2001)-- The Kosovo Law Centre (KLC) will hosting a grand opening of its new law library on Thursday, 19 April. The law library is a resource that will be open and accessible to everyone in Kosovo

DUSHANBE, 18 April 2001- Tajik authorities and NGO\'s attended a conference in Tajikistan recently which focussed on the preparation of a Report on International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.

PRISTINA, 18 April 2001-- The OSCE has condemned yet another act of senseless terrorism in Kosovo, which has left one person dead and a number of others seriously injured...

DUSHANBE, 17 April 2001-- The OSCE will be providing material assistance and training to media in the Gorno- Badakhshan Oblast of Tajikistan. The assistance is part of a programme aimed at supporting media in isolated regions of Tajikistan

COPENHAGEN, 17 April 2001-- The Vice-president of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, Mr. Tiit Käbin- MP (Estonia), will lead observers for the 22 April Parliamentary Elections in Montenegro

MINSK, 17 April 2001-- The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), Advisory and Monitoring Group in Belarus, rejects accusations made on 12 April 2001 by Leonid Yerin, Chief of the Belarusian Committee for State Security

DUSHANBE, 17 April 2001-- Amendments to the draft new Criminal Procedure Code of the Republic of Tajikistan were the subject of a two day round table held in Dushanbe from 16 to 17 April 2001...

SARAJEVO, 17 April 2001-- The OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina welcomes the formation of the Central Bosnia Canton Government, which was approved by the Cantonal Assembly on 13 April 2001...

TBLISI, 17 April 2001-- After many years of disrupted contacts, Abkhaz and Ossetian drug specialists for the first time participated in a regional conference in Tbilisi, Georgia.