News and press releases

COPENHAGEN, 25 February 2020 – In order to fight the disinformation and fake news that permeates the media environment and results in the erosion of confidence, polarization of politics and widespread confusion on important matters, OSCE PA President George Tsereteli (Georgia) has appointed Oscar Mina (San Marino) as Special Rapporteur on Disinformation and Propaganda...

COPENHAGEN, 25 February 2020 – Following up on the special debate on combating anti-Semitism, discrimination and intolerance at the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly’s Winter Meeting on 21 February, the leaders of the PA’s human rights committee today recalled the importance of discrimination and extremism being high on the international agenda. They condemned the attacks in Hanau, Germany, on 19 February, and noted that they serve as a tragic reminder of the need for all public figures to renounce intolerance...

The OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Ukraine, the National Agency of Ukraine for Civil Service, online studio EdEra and Ukrainian School of Governance presented a training programme on improving skills in conflict management and engaging stakeholders in implementing reforms at an event in Kyiv on 25 February 2020. The programme is aimed at public servants of central governmental agencies and local authorities in Ukraine.

KAMENSK-SHAKHTINSKIY, Russian Federation. The Observer Mission (OM) continues to operate 24/7 at both Border Crossing Points (BCPs). The overall number of border crossings by persons increased at both BCPs compared to the previous week...

Summary Between the evenings of 21 and 22 February, the SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and more in Luhansk region, compared with the previous reporting period. Between the evenings of 22 and 23 February, the SMM recorded more ceasefire violations in both Donetsk and

VIENNA, 24 February 2020 – The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Harlem Désir, expressed his dismay today at recent insults and threats by Duško Perović, Head of the Representative Office of the Republika Srpska in the Russian Federation, against journalists of the web portal Capital...

The office of the OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities (HCNM), in co-operation with the Education Ministry of Ukraine, organized a conference on 20 February 2020 in Kyiv for 60 stakeholders from the four regions of Zakarpattia, Chernivtsi, Odesa and Zaporizhzhia. The conference was in

VIENNA, 23 February 2020 – OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Harlem Désir, expressed his concern today at the potential extradition of WikiLeaks editor Julian Assange, ahead of his hearing on 24 February.

Summary Compared with the previous reporting period, the SMM recorded more ceasefire violations in both Donetsk and Luhansk regions. The Mission followed up on reports of a man injured by shrapnel from shelling in non-government-controlled Holubivske on 18 February. The SMM saw fresh craters in

Summary Compared with the previous reporting period, the SMM recorded more ceasefire violations in both Donetsk and Luhansk regions. The Mission saw fresh damage from shelling to residential buildings and a power substation in non-government-controlled Zolote-5/Mykhailivka and Holubivske. The SMM

VIENNA, 21 February 2020 – In the wake of a racially motivated attack in the German town of Hanau on Wednesday, OSCE parliamentarians gathering in Vienna for the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly’s 19th Winter Meeting today held a timely debate on combating anti-Semitism, discrimination and intolerance in the OSCE region...

Staff from the OSCE Conflict Prevention Centre participated in the conference on “Gender Equal Arms Control: Towards Bullet-Proof Inclusion”, organized in Berlin by the German Foreign Office jointly with the Pathfinders for Peaceful, Just and Inclusive Societies on 20 and 21 February 2020...

A five-day training course on the identification of forged documents and verification of persons’ identities for members of the Border Police of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) concluded on 21 February 2020 in Sarajevo. The event was organized jointly by the Border Security and Management Unit of the OSCE Transnational Threats Department and the OSCE Mission to BiH...

The OSCE Mission to Montenegro supported the fourth meeting of the Regional Youth Co-operation Office (RYCO) Advisory Board on 20 February 2020 in Podgorica. The aim of the meeting was to review RYCO’s work from 2019 and its plans for 2020.

VIENNA, 21 February 2020 – After a stalled response to human trafficking, Irish officials are showing a renewed commitment to addressing the issue, according to Valiant Richey, OSCE Special Representative for Combating Trafficking in Human Beings, as he concluded on 20 February a three-day visit to Ireland to observe its response to trafficking and to provide recommendations on ways to strengthen it.

A five-day training course on developing co-operation among law enforcement agencies in combating the spread of new psychoactive substances (NPS) facilitated by the Darkweb concluded on 21 February 2020 in Almaty, Kazakhstan.

Summary Compared with the previous reporting period, the SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations in both Donetsk and Luhansk regions. The SMM observed fresh damage to a house in Holubivske and a probable crater near a school building in Staromykhailivka. The Mission continued monitoring the

VIENNA, 20 February 2020 – The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Harlem Désir, paid tribute today to investigative journalist Ján Kuciak and his fiancée Martina Kušnírová, on the second anniversary of their murders...

VIENNA, 20 February 2020 – Opening the 19th Winter Meeting of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly in Vienna today, keynote speakers underlined the importance of multilateral co-operation and inter-parliamentary dialogue in tackling common problems facing the region and ensuring that the promises made 30 years ago in founding the OSCE are upheld.

The four-day Model OSCE conference for youth started today, 20 February 2020, at Nazarbayev University in Nur-Sultan. Thirty-five participants from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan involving Masters and PhD students as well as young professionals took part in the conference.

Summary The SMM recorded a spike in the number of ceasefire violations in Luhansk region, with the majority (mostly explosions) recorded in areas along the contact line between Popasna, Pervomaisk, Muratove and Krymske, including Zolote, and the disengagement area near it, as well as Hirske. It

A meeting on 17 February 2020 in Podgorica between Zlatko Vujović, chair of the governing board, Centre for Monitoring and Research (CeMI) and Darko Brajović, National Programme Officer, OSCE Mission concluded that both national and international observers have an important role in the electoral process to enhance citizens’ confidence in elections and safeguard transparency.

VIENNA, 19 February 2020 – The first preparatory meeting of the 2020 OSCE Economic and Environmental Forum concluded on 18 February in Vienna. The meeting focused on countering corruption by improving the understanding of how new technologies affect government and economic development, stability and security in the region.

The Arabic language version of the OSCE guidebook on “Understanding the Role of Gender in Preventing and Countering Violent Extremism and Radicalization That Lead to Terrorism (P/CVERLT): Good Practices for Law Enforcement” was launched in Cairo on 17 February 2020. The guidebook, the first of its kind, is the result of a two-year collaborative effort by experts on gender, the security sector and countering violent extremism based on case studies from across the OSCE area. The event was organized jointly by the OSCE and the League of Arab States (LAS).

In the morning of 18 February, from approximately 05:30 to 11:30 hrs, while on patrol in the area of Zolote (government-controlled, 60km west of Luhansk) and at its forward patrol bases in Kadiivka (formerly Stakhanov, non-government-controlled, 50km west of Luhansk) and Popasna (government-controlled, 69km west of Luhansk) – and with its cameras – the SMM recorded a marked spike in the number of ceasefire violations in the area, including over 2,300 explosions...

TIRANA / VIENNA, 18 February 2020- OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Prime Minister and Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs of Albania, Edi Rama, and OSCE Secretary General Thomas Greminger expressed their deep concern about reports of heavy fighting near the Zolote disengagement area in eastern Ukraine today. They regretted in particular the reports of casualties. While noting that the fighting there was reported to have stopped, they called for restraint and full respect for the ceasefire, especially after the many recommitments and reaffirmations most recently in the conclusions of the Normandy-format Summit in Paris on 9 December.

Summary Compared with the previous 24 hours, the SMM recorded more ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and fewer in Luhansk region. The Mission continued monitoring the disengagement areas near Stanytsia Luhanska, Zolote and Petrivske. The SMM saw weapons in violation of withdrawal lines on both

Kamensk-Shakhtinskiy, Russian Federation. The Observer Mission (OM) continues to operate 24/7 at both Border Crossing Points (BCPs). The overall number of border crossings by persons increased at both BCPs compared to the previous week.

Summary Compared with the previous reporting period, between the evenings of 14-15 February the SMM recorded more ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and fewer in Luhansk region. Between the evenings of 15-16 February, the Mission recorded fewer ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and more in

VIENNA, 17 February 2020 – The OSCE Parliamentary Assembly’s Special Representative on Combating Corruption, Cypriot parliamentarian Irene Charalambides , addressed today the first preparatory meeting of the OSCE’s 2020 Economic and Environmental Forum, noting that political will is key to bringing about change in fighting corruption, and therefore a change in mentality at all levels is urgently needed...

Summary Compared with the previous reporting period, the SMM recorded more ceasefire violations in both Donetsk and Luhansk regions. The Mission continued monitoring the security situation at the disengagement areas near Stanytsia Luhanska, Zolote and Petrivske. The SMM continued to observe

MUNICH, Germany, 15 February 2020 – Co-operation between the OSCE and Armenia was a focus of a meeting yesterday between OSCE Secretary General Thomas Greminger and Foreign Minister of Armenia Zohrab Mnatsakanyan on the margins of the Munich Security Conference...

Following the parliamentary elections in Poland on 13 October 2019, the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) has published its final report. The elections were prepared well, and contestants were able to campaign freely, but media bias and intolerant campaign rhetoric

Summary Compared with the previous reporting period, the SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations in both Donetsk and Luhansk regions. The Mission continued monitoring the security situation at the disengagement areas near Stanytsia Luhanska, Zolote and Petrivske. The Mission saw weapons in

THE HAGUE, 14 February 2020 – OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities Lamberto Zannier today launched a call for nominations for the 2020 Max van der Stoel Award. The award of 50,000 euros recognizes extraordinary and outstanding achievements in improving the position of national minorities in OSCE participating States. The deadline for nominations is 3 April 2020.

Summary Compared with the previous reporting period, the SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and more in Luhansk region. The Mission continued monitoring the security situation at the disengagement areas near Stanytsia Luhanska, Zolote and Petrivske. The Mission saw weapons in

The OSCE-supported meeting of the Balkan Asset Management Interagency Network (BAMIN) Steering Group took place in Tirana on 12 and 13 February 2020. The event was hosted by the Agency for Seized and Confiscated Assets of Albania’s Ministry of Finance. Participants discussed ways the Network could reach its aim of achieving full operationalization and sustainable management, including by involving new members or observers for the years 2020– 2022.

MINSK, 13 February 2020 – The Special Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office in Ukraine and in the Trilateral Contact Group, Ambassador Heidi Grau, made the following statement to the press after the meeting of the TCG and its working groups in Minsk on 12 February 2020:...

Summary Compared with the previous reporting period, the SMM recorded more ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and fewer in Luhansk region. It followed up on reports of a man injured by shelling in non-government-controlled Berezivske. The Mission continued monitoring the security situation in

VIENNA, 12 February 2020 – OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Harlem Désir, today said that he deplores last night’s detentions, violent incidents and mistreatment of journalists during an election-related protest in Baku...

A meeting on establishing an Advance Passenger Information (API) system for enhancing border and aviation security in Armenia took place in Yerevan on 11 and 12 February 2020. The event is a follow-up to the national workshop held in June 2019 that resulted in the drafting of a roadmap outlining the necessary steps Armenia needs to take to establish an API system.

Summary Compared with the previous 24 hours, the SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations in both Donetsk and Luhansk regions. The Mission observed that snow had been cleared from positions inside the disengagement area near Petrivske. It also recorded ceasefire violations close to the same

The situation of family members of ‘foreign terrorist fighters’ (FTFs) trapped in camps or detention in Syria and Iraq raise profound human rights and security concerns, the head of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) said ahead of an event on 12 February in Vienna highlighting the need to repatriate both FTFs and their families.

The Observer Mission (OM) continues to operate 24/7 at both Border Crossing Points (BCPs). The overall number of border crossings by persons decreased at both BCPs compared to the previous week...

VIENNA, 11 February 2020 – More than 400 participants from over 70 countries attended the opening of a two-day, high-level regional conference on challenges posed by foreign terrorist fighters. The conference, which is being held today and tomorrow in Vienna, is jointly organized by the UN Office of Counter-Terrorism (UNOCT), the OSCE, and Switzerland, in co-operation with Albania’s OSCE Chairmanship...

The 5th International Scientific Conference on Environmental Crime, Environmental Security and National Security, organized by the Albanian Security Academy, in close co-operation with the OSCE Presence in Albania and the Municipality of Tirana, was held on 11 February 2020 in Tirana...

At a presentation organized by the OSCE Mission to Montenegro on 11 February 2020 in Podgorica, participants concluded that establishing a journalism training and research centre in Montenegro would benefit both students and experienced journalists...

SKOPJE, 10 February 2020 – Representatives of national and international anti-corruption bodies and law enforcement agencies from South-Eastern Europe met today in Skopje at a two-day regional conference, organized by the OSCE Mission to Skopje and OSCE Albania’s Chairmanship. The event will focus on preventing and tackling corruption...

VIENNA, 10 February 2020 – OSCE Secretary General Thomas Greminger met with Foreign Minister of Azerbaijan Elmar Mammadyarov today. They discussed current issues and co-operation between the OSCE and Azerbaijan.

Summary Compared with the previous reporting period, between the evenings of 7-8 February, the SMM recorded more ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and fewer in Luhansk region. Between the evenings of 8-9 February, the Mission recorded more ceasefire violations in both Donetsk and Luhansk