Central Europe

CHISINAU, 26 March 2022 — The OSCE Chairman-in-Office and Poland’s Minister for Foreign Affairs Zbigniew Rau concluded his first official visit as OSCE Chairman to Moldova today.

In Chisinau, Minister Rau met with President Maia Sandu, Prime Minister Natalia Gavrilita, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Foreign Affairs and European Integration of the Republic of Moldova, Nicolae Popescu, and Deputy Prime Minister for Reintegration Oleg Serebrian.

The discussions focused on advancing a comprehensive and lasting political settlement of the Transdniestrian conflict in all its aspects, strengthening the independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Republic of Moldova.

“With my visit, I would like to demonstrate to you solidarity and our political support for the Republic of Moldova in these difficult times," stressed the Chairman-in-Office.

Moldova, like other neighbouring countries of Ukraine, is currently facing a large influx of refugees fleeing Russian aggression. "The war in Ukraine seriously affects the situation of the civilian population," assessed Minister Rau. He added that he highly appreciates the active measures taken for refugees by the Moldovan society, the government and local authorities.

Minister Rau also met with Transdniestrian leader Vadim Krasnoselsky and the Transdniestrian Chief Negotiator Vitaly Ignatiev in Bender. Chairman Rau underlined the need to further build trust and constructive dialogue between sides for the benefit of the affected populations on both banks of the Dniester River.

Minister Rau emphasized the efforts to achieve a comprehensive and peaceful solution of the situation in Transdniestria based on the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Republic of Moldova within its internationally recognized borders, with special status for Transdniestria.

465645 Public Affairs Unit, OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights Katya Andrusz

The October 2021 local elections in North Macedoniawere competitive and fundamental freedoms were widely respected, but shortcomings in the legal framework underscore the need for a comprehensive reform. The election days proceeded smoothly and procedures were generally assessed positively by ODIHR observers during both rounds, but a rushed timeframe and limited personnel and operational capacity strained the ability of the election administration to adequately prepare to implement biometric voter registration.

These are some of the main conclusions from the final report on the North Macedonia local elections published today by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights. The report also noted areas that would benefit from further review, including the operational capacity of the election administration and the maintenance of the voter register. The report offers 36 recommendations to improve the conduct of elections and to increase transparency and public confidence in the electoral process.

Key recommendations include:

• Comprehensively revising the electoral legislation, in line with ODIHR recommendations, and following a genuinely inclusive process in which the proposals by various stakeholders are given meaningful consideration;

• Strengthening efforts to counter any form of pressure on voters and on public employees, and thoroughly and effectively investigating such allegations;

• Guaranteeing the operational capacity, independence and efficiency of the State Election Commission;

• Harmonizing electoral legislation with the objectives of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities by removing any restrictions on electoral rights on the basis of intellectual or psycho-social disability;

• Reinforcing the accuracy of the voter register through systematic, electronic updates and implementing a nationwide system for the standardization of addresses;

• Enhancing transparency of campaign finance, including by requiring disclosure of all types of income, as well as expenditures, prior to election day;

• Reconsidering regulations on paid political advertisement in the media to allow unimpeded access to the media based on reasonable and objective criteria.

ODIHR deployed an Election Observation Mission for these elections on 7 September 2021. All 57 participating States of the OSCE have formally committed to follow up promptly on ODIHR’s electoral assessments and recommendations.

514660 Office of the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Ton van den Brandt

On 24 March 2022, the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Teresa Ribeiro, met with Permanent Representative of Mongolia to the OSCE, Ambassador Mijiddorj Tsengeg.

Their first meeting was focusing on the legal framework of the media in the country and its implication for freedom of expression. Ribeiro and Tsengeg discussed various related issues, such as safety of journalists, media literacy, and access to information.

Ribeiro presented the priorities of her Office till the end of 2023, whereas Tsengeg briefed about the current steps in amending the country’s legislation in line with its human rights commitment. In particular, Ribeiro and Tsengeg discussed possible ways of ensuring journalists’ safety during mass events and improved interaction with the law enforcement.  Ribeiro reiterated her readiness to support Mongolia in the reforms and updating of the legislative framework for the media.

RIGA, 25 March 2022 – Valiant Richey, OSCE Special Representative for Combating Trafficking in Human Beings, concluded his three-day visit to Latvia today. He highlighted the gains made in providing support to victims of human trafficking and combating trafficking for forced labour, while noting low levels of success in identifying child and sexual exploitation victims.

During his visit, Richey met with with high-level anti-trafficking stakeholders including Minister of Interior Marija Golubeva, and government officials from the Ministry of Justice, the specialized Prosecution Office for Organized Crime, the Organized Crime Enforcement Unit of the State Police, the Office for Citizenship and Migration Affairs, the Ombudsman and the Financial Intelligence Unit. Richey also met with members of the Latvian parliament to discuss potential legislative action and concluded the visit with a meeting of the inter-ministerial group overseeing anti-trafficking activities in Latvia.

At a joint press conference with Minister of Interior Golubeva, Richey praised Latvian authorities for their effective processes for recognizing victims, providing state-funded assistance, confiscating trafficking proceeds and identifying cases of trafficking for forced labour.

Richey noted that some challenges remain. “The culture of impunity for traffickers remains a serious barrier to delivering justice to victims. Long judicial processes that threaten to re-traumatize victims and charging traffickers with lesser offences keeps them from being held accountable for the harm they cause,” said Richey.

Minister Golubeva concurred with the Special Representative, adding: “I was very pleased that we could host this visit and talk about things that have already been done and about what we are planning ahead to fight human trafficking. We will be specifically aiming at this issue as Ukrainian civilians fleeing war are reaching Latvia. We must make sure all relevant state institutions are involved to prevent people from falling into the traps of human traffickers. We will also be doing more in the digital realm, and I hope that internet police - an initiative we started in 2022 - will be one of the most effective solutions."

Discussions during the visit also indicated that more proactive efforts are needed to identify victims and protect vulnerable groups.  “I was pleased to see the great results in identifying cases of trafficking for forced labour, but now it is time to put the same attention into actively identifying child victims and adults trafficked into sexual exploitation. There are child victims in Latvia who continue to go unseen, and proactive investigations, especially online, are needed to offer victims the protection they deserve,” said Richey.

Richey urged officials to keep trafficking in human beings high on the political agenda and to further strengthen the country’s response through improved awareness-raising, capacity-building, legislative reform and robust investment of human and financial resources.

The Special Representative conducts multiple country visits each year to help increase the capacity of OSCE participating States in addressing human trafficking, to share recommendations and collect best practices for fighting this heinous crime. A report detailing the findings of his visit will be released later in 2022.

VIENNA, 24 March 2022 – The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Teresa Ribeiro today condemned the killing of Oksana Baulina, a journalist with The Insider investigative project, in Kyiv yesterday and reiterated her serious concern about the safety of journalists in the context of the Russian military attack against Ukraine. 

“Baulina’s death is yet another horrific reminder of the rapidly deteriorating situation concerning journalists’ safety as a result of the Russian military attack against Ukraine,” Ribeiro said.

According to The Insider, Oksana Baulina died under fire in Kyiv on 23 March. She was reportedly filming the destruction after Russian troops shelled the Podil District of the Ukrainian capital. Another civilian was also killed in the same attack, and two more people who accompanied Baulina were wounded and hospitalized.

Baulina is one of at least four journalists known to have been killed in last two weeks while working in Ukraine:

• on 13 March, a US journalist and filmmaker Brent Renaud, who was working in the region for Time, was shot dead in the town of Irpin near Kyiv, while two other journalists, including Juan Arredondo, were injured and taken to hospital;
• on 15 March, Fox News cameraman Pierre Zakrzewski and journalist Oleksandra Kuvshinova were killed by fire in Horenka near Kyiv, while their colleague, Benjamin Hall, was wounded and hospitalized.

Ribeiro also noted reports that on 11 March, Viktor Dedov, a chief cameraperson for the local television station Sigma, was killed during the bombing of his house in Mariupol.

“I express my sincere condolences and sympathies to the journalists’ families, friends and colleagues,” Ribeiro said.

The Representative further expressed her profound concern regarding the growing number of reports on cases of disappearance and abduction of Ukrainian journalists and hostage taking of their relatives, including in an apparent attempt to intimidate and force media workers to co-operate with the Russian side:

• on 12 March, Victoria Roshchina, a journalist with Hromadske media outlet, who reported on the Russian invasion in Ukraine, went missing in the city of Berdiansk and was released after about ten days; on 11 March, Roschina was also, reportedly, shot at when her vehicle passed a column of Russian tanks near the city of Zaporizhia;
• on 12 March, Oleh Baturyn, a journalist for the newspaper Novyi Den, went missing in the town of Kakhovka and was released on 20 March with reports of ill-treatment while in detention;
• on 13 March, a well-known photojournalist Maksim (Maks) Levin went missing, after he was last seen in the Vyshgorod district near Kyiv, where he went to photograph the frontline;
• on 21 March, editor-in-chief Yevgeniya Boryan and the journalists Yuliya Olkhovskaya and Lyubov Chaika of the newspaper Melitopolski Vidomosti (part of MV media holding), as well as publisher Mykhailo Kumok of MV, his wife and daughter were briefly detained in the city of Melitopol;
• on 23 March, Svetlana Zalizetskaya, director of the newspaper Glavnaya Gazeta Melitopolya and the RIA-Melitopol news website, reported that her 75-year old father was detained as a hostage in the city of Melitopol to put pressure on her.

Various reports also indicate that in the course of the last two weeks, because of shelling by the Russian military, several broadcasting facilities, including television towers in the cities of Vinnytsya and Rivne, were damaged.

“I reiterate that violence against journalists and their equipment under any circumstances, including in conflict situations, is unacceptable. Media professionals must be considered and protected as civilians,” Ribeiro said.

The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media observes media developments in all 57 OSCE participating States. She provides early warning on violations of freedom of expression and media freedom and promotes full compliance with OSCE media freedom commitments. Learn more at www.osce.org/fom, Twitter: @OSCE_RFoM and on www.facebook.com/osce.rfom.

COPENHAGEN, 24 March 2022 – Some 80 observers from the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly will deploy next week to Serbia to observe the 3 April Presidential and early Parliamentary Elections.

As on previous occasions, the OSCE PA observation delegation will work closely with partners from the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) as well as with the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) and the European Parliament (EP).

OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Polish Foreign Minister Zbigniew Rau, has appointed OSCE PA Member Kyriakos Hadjiyianni (Cyprus) as Special Co-ordinator of the OSCE short term observers, while Bryndis Haraldsdottir (Iceland) will lead the OSCE PA delegation upon appointment of President Margareta Cederfelt.

“Elections are always a crucial moment in the democratic life of a country” said Special Co-ordinator Hadjiyianni, “I am honored to put my experience at the service of this election observation mission, and I am confident that the perspective parliamentarians will provide alongside the indispensable work of ODIHR election experts and observers will allow us to provide a comprehensive and impartial report on these elections, for the benefit of Serbian people and authorities”.

“I hope that next week's elections will be an opportunity for Serbia to open a political phase marked by more unity and less polarization” noted Head of Delegation Haraldsdottir. “I am encouraged to see that many observers will be deployed across the country and it will be a privilege to work with them in this mission”.The mission is assessing the elections against democratic commitments contained in the OSCE’s 1990 Copenhagen Document. As per usual practice, ahead of the election day, observers will be comprehensively briefed by representatives of the election administration, civil society, media as well as political parties, on 1 and 2 April. 

The leaders of the mission will deliver the post-election statement of preliminary findings and conclusions, together with partner organizations at a press conference in Belgrade on the afternoon of 4 April, which will be streamed live on the OSCE PA website, www.oscepa.org.

Press releases and statements from previous OSCE PA Election Observation Missions can be accessed here.

Parliamentarians debate ways to increase OSCE’s support for peace in Ukraine

 

COPENHAGEN, 23 March 2022 – Parliamentarians, the OSCE and international partners must do everything in their power to support peace and security in Ukraine, participants said at an online meeting today organized by the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly. Held as part of the OSCE PA’s Call for Action – Helsinki +50 initiative and moderated by OSCE PA High-Level Expert Lamberto Zannier, the meeting focused on the role of the OSCE in addressing the war in Ukraine and its consequences, and featured the participation of high-level OSCE officials and dozens of OSCE parliamentarians.

Participants discussed ways to end Russia’s aggression, including by increasing the political will by all parties to utilize the OSCE’s toolbox for de-escalation, facilitate negotiations, and promote a peaceful solution.

“Genuine political will by all parties is necessary to fully exploit OSCE tools and to achieve real progress,” said OSCE PA President Margareta Cederfelt (Sweden). “This compels us, parliamentarians, to also use all our influence on our governments to make full use of the OSCE as a unique platform to detect, prevent, and defuse tensions among our participating States.”

In his opening remarks, OSCE PA Secretary General Roberto Montella argued that the invasion of Ukraine should not be considered a failure of the OSCE, which had done what it could within its mandate to monitor on the ground the developments with the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission and issue an early warning by its Secretary General. A platform for dialogue can only be successful, he said, if all participating States participate in dialogue in good faith and in fully respect of the values and commitments they have freely agreed to when the Helsinki Final Act was signed.

Sereine Mauborgne, Head of French Delegation to the OSCE PA and Chair of OSCE PA human rights committee, commended the efforts of Ukraine’s neighbors to welcome refugees, and focused on protecting the most vulnerable, including unaccompanied children.

Tuula Yrjölä, Director of the OSCE Conflict Prevention Centre, said that the OSCE is working to support the international effort at bringing the war to an end, and is using available means to alleviate the humanitarian crisis. She also noted that the mandate of the Special Monitoring Mission is expiring at the end of this month, and therefore it is important for parliamentarians to rally support for the SMM as well as the OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Ukraine.

OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities Kairat Abdrakhmanov stressed that the OSCE must continue to be the forum for dialogue that was established in 1975, noting that the HCNM focuses much of its efforts on early warning.

Konstantine Vardzelashvili, Head of Democratization Department at the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights, spoke about human rights monitoring, noting a recent ODIHR visit to Polish-Ukrainian border, where the focus was on strengthening anti-trafficking responses. Kyriakos Hadjiyianni, OSCE PA Special Representative on Civil Society Engagement and Vice-Chair of the Ad Hoc Committee on Migration, stressed that the current war is threatening the whole of international security, and urged the PA to intensify its co-operation with other international organizations.

Jürgen Heissel, Director of the Office of the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, regretted the deaths of six journalists since the outbreak of hostilities in Ukraine last month. He also noted that Moscow’s recent measures against media freedom could lead to an establishment of a state monopoly on information in the Russian Federation. Speaking about efforts by Western governments to combat disinformation and propaganda for war, he reiterated the Representative on Freedom of the Media’s opposition to blanket bans on media outlets, and urged instead greater efforts to cultivate media literacy.

A number of Ukrainian parliamentarians took the floor, urging tougher sanctions against the Russian Federation, and for more defensive weapons to be provided to Ukraine. Russia’s aggression has shocked the whole foundation of the OSCE, it was stressed, and it is necessary to bring all members of the OSCE together to restore the spirit of Helsinki.

Video of the event is available here.

VIENNA, 23 March 2022 – The OSCE Special Representative and Co-ordinator for Combating Trafficking in Human Beings, Valiant Richey, will visit Latvia from 22 to 25 March to assess the national response to human trafficking, discuss best practices and offer recommendations on how to strengthen anti-trafficking efforts.

Richey will meet national authorities in Riga, notably the Minister of Interior, members of the inter-ministerial group on combating trafficking in human beings, members of Parliament, representatives from the State Border Guard and State Police, as well as specialized prosecutors, the national Ombudsman, social service agencies and the labor inspectorate.

He will also visit victims' shelters outside of Riga and civil society organizations providing direct assistance to victims.

Special Representative Richey and Minister of Interior Marija Golubeva will hold a joint press conference at the Latvian Ministry of Interior on 25 March at 14:00. A short Q&A will be possible afterwards.

For more information or to register your interest in attending the press conference, please contact Public Information Officer Lilia Rotoloni (+33 628340397) or Assistant Officer on CTHB Evan Karr (+43 664 8847 4867).

The OSCE Court of Conciliation and Arbitration has published its annual report for the year 2021. The reports gives an overview of institutional matters and the activities undertaken throughout the year, with a glimpse on financial and administrative matters.

The highlights of last year’s activities  were the intervention of Emmanuel Decaux, President of the Court, and Erkki Kourula, Vice-President, at the 60th meeting of the Committee of Legal Advisers on Public International Law of the Council of Europe (CAHDI) in March 2021 as well as the seminar organized by the Swedish OSCE Chairpersonship in June 2021 on the opportunities offered by the OSCE Court of Conciliation and Arbitration in the realm of conflict resolution. 

The report also gives account of the second edition of the moot court organized by the Faculty of Law of the University in Ljubljana, where students and future jurists got familiarized with the arbitral proceedings as featured by the Convention on Conciliation and Arbitration.

The Court of Conciliation and Arbitration provides a set of mechanisms for the peaceful settlement of disputes between States. The Court was established by the Convention of Stockholm, which entered into force on 5 December 1994. To date, 34 States have ratified the Convention.

514432 Public Affairs Unit, OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights Katya Andrusz Czech Republic, Parliamentary Elections, 8-9 October 2021: Final Report

The 2021 parliamentary elections in the Czech Republic were well organized and an overall competitive campaign offered voters a wide choice of contestants. Campaign coverage was extensive in both public and private media, and contestants enjoyed generous free airtime. The tone of the campaign was often harsh, with charged language and personal attacks between candidates. Voters enjoyed a variety of ways to cast their votes either at polling stations or from home via mobile voting arrangements, or through special measures introduced for quarantined or self-isolating voters in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

These are some of the main conclusions from the final report on the Czech Republic’s parliamentary elections of 8 and 9 October 2021, published by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR). The report offers 10 recommendations to bring elections in the Czech Republic closer in line with OSCE commitments and other international standards for democratic elections.

Key recommendations include:

• Creating a central voter register to facilitate cross-checks of voter lists against multiple or faulty entries as well as to control the use of absentee voting certificates;

• Introducing a threshold for all media ownership and cross-ownership for all types of media to safeguard media pluralism;

• Ensuring the state and political parties make comprehensive efforts to promote the effective participation and decision-making of women in public and political life as well as reviewing current intra-party practices that curb equitable representation of women within party structures.

ODIHR deployed an Election Expert Team on 23 September 2021 to observe the parliamentary elections. All 57 participating States across the OSCE region have formally committed to following up promptly on ODIHR’s election assessments and recommendations.

WARSAW, 22 March 2022 – With some 3.5 million people already forced to flee Ukraine since Russia’s military attack began less than a month ago, a rapidly increasing number of those in need of protection mean a concerted effort is crucial to provide them with longer-term assistance, said the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR).

“The response to the ongoing humanitarian crisis as civilians have fled Ukraine has been heartening. But we have to be aware that challenges are likely to increase,” said ODIHR Director Matteo Mecacci. “At the same time, countries can and should now take a careful look at their migrant integration policies and see what can be improved. Prejudice and discrimination have been on the rise across the OSCE region for too long, and now is the time to counter that downwards spiral.”

The willingness of Ukraine’s neighbours and the European Union as a whole to receive people fleeing Ukraine and to provide them with temporary protection and immediate assistance has been remarkable. At the same time civil society organizations, the private sector and countless ordinary citizens have also played a major role, mobilizing swiftly and providing an astonishingly generous welcome to those fleeing the conflict.

The risks faced by those fleeing or displaced by armed conflict are high, with women and children particularly vulnerable to human trafficking. While the efforts of governments and civil society in Ukraine and neighbouring countries have been focused on the immediate risks and on ensuring the protection of those fleeing Ukraine, there is a lack of coordination at border crossings, transportation hubs and reception facilities, as well as a lack of information for refugees as they arrive on the threat of becoming a trafficking victim. ODIHR is currently planning a number of anti-trafficking responses, including specialized support for countries neighbouring Ukraine and assistance in strengthening their anti-trafficking response systems. 

It is vital that all people fleeing Ukraine are given the support they need not only now, but also in the coming weeks and months. All the countries receiving refugees are facing enormous economic and logistical challenges, with the need to provide them not just with urgent assistance, but also longer-term support, including housing, healthcare and education, and potentially access to the labour market. ODIHR is working with state institutions to provide training on refugee integration, as well as training civil society organizations to monitor human rights at international borders and supporting dialogue in communities that may come under pressure as they grow and change.

All countries of the OSCE have recognized that the rights of people at risk of displacement or already affected by it “need to be effectively protected in all phases of the conflict cycle” (Vilnius 2011). OSCE countries have also committed to “promote dignified treatment of all individuals wanting to cross borders, in conformity with relevant national legal frameworks, international law, in particular human rights, refugee, and humanitarian law” (Ljubljana 2005). These commitments are now more important than ever.

The Geneva Conventions stipulate that all parties to a conflict must do their utmost to ensure that civilians and the wounded can be removed from danger, as well as allowing the rapid and unimpeded passage of medical equipment and personnel, as well as food and clothing for babies and small children.

514378 Nuriya Sherzodova

The OSCE Border Management Staff College (BMSC) concluded its 31st Staff Course on 18 March 2022 in a face-to-face format in Dushanbe.

Twenty-five mid-to-senior level officials from border, migration, internal affairs, customs, maritime security, and drug control agencies participated in the course. They represented thirteen OSCE States and Partners for Co-operation, namely Georgia, Greece, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Moldova, Mongolia, North Macedonia, Portugal, Tajikistan, Thailand, Tunisia, Turkey, and Ukraine.

In his opening remarks, Richard C. Niebusch Ph.D., Director of the BMSC, said: “Consistent with its mission to promote open and secure borders, over the past twelve years, the OSCE Border Management Staff College serves as a point of knowledge delivery, potential building and fosters high standards in border security and management through its courses.”

Topics covered during the course included, among others, risk assessment, human rights in border security, trade facilitation, countering terrorism and trafficking in persons as well as combatting illicit trafficking of small arms and light weapons and conventional ammunition. Interactive classroom sessions were complemented by two study visits to the K-9 Centre of Tajikistan Drug Control Agency and the Tajik-Uzbek border.

Nisara Panchang, a graduate of this Staff Course from Thailand, emphasized that the course had allowed her to broaden her knowledge and exchange ideas on various topics, particularly the promotion of gender equality. “I have discovered that the integration of a gender perspective and border management services can boost the efficiency of border agencies and ensure the human rights of individuals crossing borders.”

Stojanche Volkanoski, a graduate of this Staff Course from North Macedonia added that he particularly enjoyed the practical exercises during the session on leadership and management as well as the concept used to explain how to perform practical risk assessment in BSM.

Within the framework of the course, a roundtable discussion on Countering Heightened Cybersecurity Threats to Border Security and Management was organized. Participants and experts identified the challenges faced by States and border agencies in relation to the growth of cybercrime, provided solid recommendations for facilitating border security, and addressed countermeasures to cybercrime and cyber-enabled crime. 

514249 Marina Živaljević

Young people must be actively engaged in democratic processes and their voices better heard and reflected in policy development and its implementation, said Dominique Waag, Head of the OSCE Mission to Montenegro during the three-day training programme on capacity-building of youth services at local level, concluded on 18 March 2022 in Podgorica.

The training programme, which included topics to better address the needs and priorities of young women and men in local communities, was organized in co-operation with the Directorate for Sports and Youth and targeted local youth administrators working in youth services across Montenegro. Participants discussed results achieved so far, involvement of young people in planning, learned about tools and techniques of community mobilization and development of Action plan for youth services.

Ambassador Waag said that the Mission’s special attention to the young generation  is part of the overall OSCE commitments to enhance and include young people in the endeavours to foster common values and civic education, and a priority for Poland’s Chairmanship in 2022. “With this training course, we want to build up your leadership skills, thus strengthening the youth services in local municipalities. Local youth administrators should position themselves as face of the youth centre,” said Ambassador Waag. 

Marko Begović, Acting Director of the Directorate for Sports and Youth, encouraged administrators in their independence in work that goes along with building of their capacities. “Through active work with young administrators, the Directorate for Sports and Youth, as well as the OSCE Mission, strengthen the capacities of youth services, but also the work of young people in local communities,” said Begović.

This training course was the first out of three events planned in 2022. After each event, the Mission will support separate mentoring sessions for each local service, to ensure that the knowledge acquired is applied in their daily work.

Office of the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Ton van den Brandt

The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Teresa Ribeiro, visited Finland on 15 and 16 March 2022. She met with the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Finland, Mr. Pekka Haavisto, as well as with the Speaker of Parliament, Mr. Matti Vanhanen together with the Secretary General and a member of the Finish Delegation to the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly. Ribeiro also met the State Secretary to the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Johanna Sumuvuori and the Ambassador for Human Rights and Democracy, Mr. Rauno Merisaari. 

In addition, Teresa Ribeiro had meetings with the Chair of the Council for Mass Media, with representatives from the Ministry of Education and Culture and the Ministry of Transport and Communications. She also met with the National Audiovisual Institute (KAVI) and the Finnish National Agency for Education. The Representative also had an exchange with media representatives, as well as with Sitra and FaktaBaari, two civil society led organizations active in the fields of media literacy and fact checking.

On top of the agenda were Finland’s longstanding practices in media literacy and media education, as well as developments and challenges related to digitalization, topics that the Office of the Representative on Freedom of the Media has increasingly focussed upon in the past years. Having actively worked on the issues of media literacy and digitalization in the recent past, Finland’s experiences can serve as good practice examples to share among the participating States. Next, the general situation of media freedom and questions of media sustainability as well as the safety of journalists and online harassment were also discussed in-depth, including in the context of the current security crisis in Europe.

WARSAW/VIENNA, 18 March 2022 – OSCE Chairman-in-Office and Polish Foreign Minister Zbigniew Rau and Secretary General Helga Maria Schmid strenuously condemned the ongoing violence by the Russian Armed Forces against civilian areas throughout Ukraine, including the recent bombing of a theatre harboring hundreds of civilians in Mariupol.

“We utterly condemn this despicable act, which appears to have deliberately targeted a building clearly marked as sheltering civilians, including children,” said Minister Rau. "While reports that most of those seeking refuge in the theatre have survived provide a glimmer of hope in a dark time, this attack is only the latest in a horrendous siege that has seen civilians deprived of food, water, medicine or electricity while facing a constant risk of death.”

“These deliberate and inhuman attacks on civilian areas must stop – in Mariupol, Irpin, Kharkiv, Mykolaiv, Sumy, Kyiv and beyond,” said Secretary General Schmid. “This unconscionable violence and the grave costs it brings to civilian life and infrastructure continue to grow. It has to stop – I cannot stress that enough.”

Minister Rau and Secretary General Schmid welcomed the Order of the International Court of Justice, issued on 16 March 2022, in which the Court decided upon provisional measures including that the Russian Federation immediately suspend its military operations in Ukraine.

“This order by the International Court of Justice reinforces that the aggression needs to stop now,” added Rau. “The Secretary General and I have repeatedly called for an immediate cessation of hostilities since the launch of Russia’s attack on Ukraine, and we once again firmly state: this must end.”

514090 Marina Živaljević

Supporting journalists of the national public service broadcaster – Radio Television Montenegro (RTCG) to report reliable, balanced news where facts are checked is the core to the OSCE Mission to Montenegro’s programme to support freedom of the media. Complementary to this is the provision of technical equipment to facilitate their daily work, said Dominique Waag, Head of the Mission, in meeting Boris Raonić, RTCG General Director on 17 March 2022 in Podgorica.

During the meeting, the Mission provided 18 sets of mobile journalism equipment to RTCG. The equipment includes smartphones with stands, mobile interview kits with microphones, tripod kits and complementary technical add-ons for the efficient use of the equipment. This equipment will enable journalists to conduct interviews throughout the country, produce videos and edit material on one device, producing news reports promptly while preserving production quality.

In handing over the equipment, Ambassador Waag said that the RTCG, as the public broadcaster, carries an enormous responsibility to provide accurate information to the public on emerging news stories and current affairs.

“As citizens, we are dependent on the information we receive from the media. Technology has deceased the time that news rooms have to verify and fact check. The provision of mobile journalism equipment offers not only a chance for the journalists to work with the latest technological industry standards, but also to produce high-quality content capable of being verified,” said Ambassador Waag.

General Director Raonić said that the concept of video journalism encourages a new generation of journalists to produce stories faster, with more flexibly and in step with new media.

“We express our gratitude to the OSCE Mission for this equipment, which confirms our co-operation. Our strong partnership is the result of the Mission’s commitment to strengthening the professionalism and independence of the public service,” said Raonić, adding that he was convinced that in this way RTCG will be more visible and present, strengthened in its role of providing balance impartial information to the public.

The Mission will continue supporting Montenegrin media houses in line with OSCE commitments and principles.

Communication and Media Relations Section Alexandra Taylor

A three-day train-the-trainer course on undertaking effective investigations in the course of an unfolding terrorist attack for Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) concluded on 24 February 2022 in Vienna. The course was the third of its kind for BiH as part of sustained efforts by the OSCE and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) to better counter terrorist financing and build training capability for the country.

The group of eight seasoned trainers from the Ministry of Security of BiH, the BiH Prosecutor’s Office, the State Investigation and Protection Agency, the Ministry of Interior of the Federation of BiH, the Ministry of Interior of Republika Srpska and Brčko District Police fine-tuned the training material to meet local needs and context. After the successful delivery of the courses on Foundation and Analysis in 2021, the trainers will train a group of fellow BiH security officials. The training courses aim to develop and test the skills of national experts to identify, investigate and disrupt the financing of terrorism and to strengthen interagency co-operation and links with international partners engaged in countering financing of terrorism.

Alena Kupchyna, OSCE Co-ordinator for Activities to Address Transnational Threats, addressed the group during the opening session, commending their commitment to the programme: “Thanks to your engagement, we are seeing positive effects of the trainings related to increased knowledge, improved cross-agency work, information sharing, trust building and public private partnerships.”

The training programme on countering the financing of terrorism has been implemented in BiH since December 2020 in co-ordination with the OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina. The train-the-trainer course was organized with the financial support of the United States within the framework of the extra-budgetary “Train-the-trainer and Training Courses on Countering Terrorist Financing”.

VIENNA, 16 March 2022 — The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Teresa Ribeiro, today reiterated her call to free all journalists and other media workers who have been sentenced, arrested or detained in Belarus.

Ribeiro’s comments follow the sentencing on 15 March of editor-in-chief Yahor Martsinovich and marketing director Andrey Skurko, who both work with Nasha Niva, one of the leading Belarusian news platforms, to two and a half years in jail. Both Martsinovich and Skurko were charged with causing material damage after allegedly paying wrong utility fees for their office. Reportedly, the alleged damage to the state was fully paid off before the trial. The men have been in custody since July 2021, following searches of their homes and the editorial office.

Earlier, on 3 March, Aleh Hruzdzilovich, a former correspondent of RFE/RL's Belarus Service, was imprisoned to one and a half years in jail for alleged participation in protests, although he was working as a journalist. He has been in custody since December 2021.

“I strongly condemn the continued arrests and convictions of journalists on trumped-up charges in Belarus,” Ribeiro said. “I reiterate my call on the Belarusian authorities to put an end to these practices and to immediately and unconditionally release all media workers who have been imprisoned, arrested or detained.”

According to the Belarusian Association of Journalists, 30 journalists and other media workers are currently in prison in Belarus.

The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media observes media developments in all 57 OSCE participating States. She provides early warning on violations of freedom of expression and media freedom and promotes full compliance with OSCE media freedom commitments. Learn more at www.osce.org/fom, Twitter: @OSCE_RFoM and on www.facebook.com/osce.rfom.

WARSAW, 16 March 2022 – After two democratically elected mayors in the Ukrainian cities of Melitopol and Dniprorudne were forcibly removed from office, kidnapped and remain at risk of torture, the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) is increasingly alarmed by the impact of Russia’s military attack on the country’s democratic institutions.  

The detained mayors should be immediately released and their safety guaranteed, notwithstanding the distinct rules and requirements of international humanitarian law applicable in times of armed conflict. ODIHR reiterates that preserving the integrity of democratic institutions and processes is an obligation in line with the commitments made by all OSCE countries.  

All countries across the OSCE have committed to respect each other’s sovereignty, freedom and political independence, and have repeatedly affirmed the right of citizens to  decide on their internal political affairs through representatives who are freely chosen during genuine democratic elections.

Prohibitions of torture and enforced disappearances in international law are absolute, in times of armed conflict just as in times of peace. OSCE countries have also pledged to ensure that the prohibition of torture or cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment is also respected in the context of armed conflict.

514057 Public Affairs Unit, OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights Katya Andrusz

The 26 September 2021 elections to the German Parliament (Bundestag) were generally well organized, and the election administration enjoyed stakeholder confidence notwithstanding some procedural issues reported and observed in Berlin. Overall, the postal voting system contains sufficient safeguards against fraud, and enjoys the confidence of voters. The regulation, reporting requirements and oversight of political party finance were of concern, as these do not provide for sufficient transparency.

These are some of the main conclusions of the final report on the elections published by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR).

The report offers 10 recommendations to improve the conduct of elections and to support efforts to bring them further in line with OSCE commitments, as well as other international obligations and standards for democratic elections.

Key recommendations include:

• Establishing an independent political finance monitoring and oversight body with a clear and effective mandate;

• Requiring more timely disclosure of party and campaign finances, including more detailed reporting on campaign expenditures;

• Establishing a limit on donations to parties by individuals and legal entities;

• Introducing detailed rules regulating loans for political parties;

• Developing a system indicating the receipt of postal ballots by the relevant authorities.