News and press releases
News and press releases from the OSCE's global activities.
New OSCE/ODIHR publication aimed at assisting governments in addressing security needs of Jewish communities
Publishing date: 15 May 2017
BERLIN, 15 May 2017 – The OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) today released a new publication aimed at assisting governments in addressing the security needs of Jewish communities, at a launch event in the German Parliamentary Society...
Italian prosecutors and judges strengthen skills to respond to hate crimes at OSCE/ODIHR training course in Milan
Publishing date: 5 May 2017
A group of 30 Italian prosecutors and judges improved their ability to address hate crime during a training course co-organized by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (OSCE/ODIHR) on 5 May 2017 in Milan, Italy. The event, part of ODIHR’s Prosecutors and Hate Crimes Training
ODIHR Director Link and OSCE Chairperson’s Personal Representative Gabriel concerned over Jehovah’s Witness ban in Russia
Publishing date: 25 April 2017
WARSAW, 25 April 2017 – Michael Georg Link, Director of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) and Professor Ingeborg Gabriel, Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office on Combating Racism, Xenophobia and Discrimination, also focusing on Intolerance and Discrimination against Christians and Members of Other Religions, today expressed serious concern over the decision of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation to declare the Jehovah’s Witnesses’ national headquarters and all local communities “extremist” and to ban their activities with immediate effect...
ODIHR Director calls on Russian authorities to urgently investigate reports of shocking human rights violations against gay men in Chechnya
Publishing date: 13 April 2017
WARSAW, 13 April 2017 Michael Georg Link, the Director of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), today called on Russian Federation authorities to urgently investigate the alleged disappearance, torture and other ill-treatment against men in Chechnya based on their real or perceived sexual orientation.
Strengthening co-operation between civil society and state authorities to counter hate crime the focus of OSCE/ODIHR capacity-building event in Kyiv
Publishing date: 12 April 2017
State and civil society representatives from across Ukraine met as part of the Third National Confidence and Capacity-Building Event in Kyiv on 11 and 12 April 2017. The event, organized by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), provided a forum to improve co-operation between state institutions and civil society groups to address hate crime...
Developing teaching resources to counter intolerance against Muslims focus of Dublin meeting co-hosted by ODIHR
Publishing date: 28 March 2017
Experts, officials, teachers, students, parents and representatives of the Muslim community gathered in Dublin on 27 March 2017 for the first round of consultations on developing teaching materials to counter intolerance against Muslims based on international human rights and non-discrimination
Education to promote inclusion and mutual respect essential to counter hate speech, say heads of European human rights institutions on International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination
Publishing date: 21 March 2017
WARSAW / STRASBOURG / VIENNA, 21 March 2017 – Promoting inclusion and mutual respect through education and strong positive narratives is essential to preventing incitement to hatred and countering hate speech in the digital age, the heads of three European human rights institutions said in a joint statement on today’s International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination...