News and press releases
News and press releases from the OSCE's global activities.
More needs to be done to combat hate crimes against Christians, participants say at OSCE meeting
Publishing date: 12 September 2011
ROME, 12 September 2011 – Participating States need to step up their efforts to effectively prevent and combat hate crimes against Christians, participants said at the opening of an OSCE conference in Rome today...
OSCE/ODIHR delegation visits Kazakhstani human rights defender in prison
Publishing date: 5 September 2011
A delegation of senior officials from the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) visited prominent human rights defender Yevgeniy Zhovtis on 3 September 2011 in a settlement colony in Ust-Kamenogorsk, Kazakhstan, where he is serving a four-year sentence for vehicular manslaughter...
OSCE starts prosecutorial reform project in Armenia
Publishing date: 24 August 2011
YEREVAN, 24 August 2011 – Ambassador Sergey Kapinos, the Head of the OSCE Office in Yerevan, and Aghvan Hovsepyan, the Armenian Prosecutor General, today signed a co-operation agreement on prosecutorial reform in Armenia...
OSCE Office supports public debate on Armenia's new draft legislation on religious freedoms
Publishing date: 19 August 2011
YEREVAN, 19 August 2011 – A new draft law on religious freedoms was debated today at a public discussion organized with the support of the OSCE Office in Yerevan...
Monitoring of detention facilities helps prevent torture, says Deputy Head of OSCE Centre in Bishkek
Publishing date: 18 August 2011
BULAN-SOGOTTU, Kyrgyzstan, 18 August 2011 – Representatives of non-governmental organizations and the Ombudsman’s office began discussions today to develop a joint methodology for monitoring detention facilities at a meeting organized by the OSCE Centre in Bishkek...
OSCE Chairperson condemns continued action by Belarus against civil society
Publishing date: 5 August 2011
VILNIUS, 5 August 2011 – The OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Lithuanian Foreign Minister Audronius Ažubalis, today expressed deep concern over the continued worsening of the human rights situation in Belarus, citing the arrest of Aliaksandr (Ales) Bialiatski, President of the Belarus Human Rights Centre ‘Viasna’ on 4 August 2011 and the search of the NGO’s premises, as the latest example of persecution...
OSCE human rights chief expresses concern over proposed restrictions on freedom of assembly in Belarus
Publishing date: 2 August 2011
WARSAW, 2 August 2011 – Ambassador Janez Lenarčič, the Director of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), today expressed concern about a proposal by the Belarusian Council of Ministers to introduce further restrictions on the freedom of peaceful assembly...