OSCE

KYIV, 26 October 2020 – Ukraine’s local elections were conducted under a substantially revised legal framework which, despite some improvements, requires further refinement to address remaining shortcomings, international observers from the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) said in a statement today. The Central Election Commission administered the elections professionally and efficiently, despite the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, but the work of territorial commissions was often politicized, and was negatively affected by frequent replacements of their members.

“These elections were especially important because of the transfer of significant powers and resources to local governments,” said Ingibjörg Sólrún Gísladóttir, head of the ODIHR limited election observation mission. “We noted how this decentralization process increased the stakes for the political actors, and I hope that the elected local officials will use their substantial powers for the benefit of the people they serve.”

Contestants were able to campaign freely, but cases of abuse of state resources and of office, as well as widespread allegations of vote-buying, were of concern.

While the media landscape is diverse, there is a high concentration of politically vested ownership, contributing to the political polarization of reporting and a lack of public trust in the media sector. The Constitution guarantees the freedom of expression and prohibits censorship, and the conduct of the media during the election campaign is regulated by the Election Code. Monitored private media outlets failed, however, to comply with legal obligations for unbiased and balanced coverage of electoral contestants, and there was a high volume of unmarked promotional materials in broadcast media.

A new Election Code was adopted in December 2019, and while subsequent amendments to the Code addressed some deficiencies, the changes came only shortly before the elections, at odds with international good practice. Positively, the revised legal framework introduced an inclusive gender quota for candidate lists, revised sanctions for electoral offences, and facilitated the changing of voting addresses, making voting easier for citizens unable to do so at their registered address.

“The elections were administered professionally and efficiently despite challenges posed by the pandemic and remaining shortcomings in the election laws,” Gísladóttir said. “Previous and upcoming recommendations will need to be addressed in order to strengthen the legal framework. We will continue to focus on the legal and election administration issues in the run-up to the second round of mayoral elections.”

In the limited number of polling stations visited, the voting process was generally calm, well-organized and transparent, and prescribed procedures were mostly followed. The vote counts, often lengthy, were orderly and transparent, although party observers interfered with or participated in the counting process in several cases. The initial stages of the tabulation process in the few cases observed were organized and calm. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s conduct of an opinion poll at polling stations, funded by his party, appeared to create an undue political advantage on election day and blurred the separation of state and party, the observers said.

ODIHR’s Limited Election Observation Mission to Ukraine took up its work on 23 September and will continue to work in those cities where there will be a second round of mayoral elections. The mission is assessing the extent to which the elections were held in line with OSCE commitments and other international standards for democratic elections, as well as with national legislation.

Washington D.C., 25 October, 2020 - The Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group (Igor Popov of the Russian Federation, Stephane Visconti of France, and Andrew Schofer of the United States of America) released the following statement today: 

The Co-Chairs met in Washington D.C. on October 24 with Armenian Foreign Minister Zohrab Mnatsakanyan and Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov, and also participated in a joint meeting with the Foreign Ministers and U.S. Deputy Foreign Minister Stephen Biegun. The Personal Representative of the OSCE’s Chairman in Office, Andrzej Kasprzyk, also participated in the meetings.    

The Co-Chairs urged the sides to take immediate steps to implement all aspects of the October 10 Moscow Joint Statement in accordance with their commitments, noting that they had reaffirmed these commitments with Paris on October 18. The Co-Chairs also reminded the sides of the October 1, 2020 joint statement of United States President Donald J. Trump, French President Emmanuel Macron, and Russian President Vladimir Putin, as well as the October 5 joint statement of Secretary of State Secretary of State of the United States of America Michael R. Pompeo, Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs of France Jean-Yves Le Drian, and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation Sergey Lavrov, calling on the sides to cease hostilities immediately and to resume substantive negotiations to resolve the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict under the auspices of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs.  

During their intensive discussions, the Co-Chairs and Foreign Ministers discussed implementing an immediate humanitarian ceasefire, possible parameters for monitoring the ceasefire, and initiating discussion of core substantive elements of a comprehensive solution, in accordance with the October 10 Joint Statement. The Co-Chairs and Foreign Ministers agreed to meet again in Geneva on October 29 to discuss, reach agreement on, and begin implementation, in accordance with a timeline to be agreed upon, of all steps necessary to achieve a peaceful settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict in accordance with the basic principles accepted by the leaders of Azerbaijan and Armenia.  

SDGs SDGs:  16 - Peace, justice and strong institutions

Summary

• The SMM recorded no ceasefire violations in both Donetsk and Luhansk regions. In the previous reporting period, it recorded 45 ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and none in Luhansk region.
• The SMM continued monitoring the disengagement areas near Stanytsia Luhanska, Zolote and Petrivske. During the evening hours, an SMM long-range unmanned aerial vehicle spotted people inside the disengagement area near Petrivske.
• The Mission facilitated and monitored adherence to localised ceasefires to enable repairs to and the operation of critical civilian infrastructure, including to enable repairs to water infrastructure and construction work in government-controlled and non-government-controlled areas of Luhansk region.
• The SMM continued following up on the situation of civilians amid the COVID-19 pandemic, including at an entry-exit checkpoint in Luhansk region.
• The Mission’s freedom of movement continued to be restricted.*

SDGs SDGs:  16 - Peace, justice and strong institutions

Summary

• The SMM recorded 45 ceasefire violations, all explosions, in Donetsk region and none in Luhansk region. In the previous reporting period, it recorded 49 ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and none in Luhansk region.
• The Mission followed up on reports of a boy killed by an explosive device in July in Makiivka, Donetsk region.
• The SMM continued monitoring the disengagement areas near Stanytsia Luhanska, Zolote and Petrivske.
• The SMM observed 27 weapons in violation of withdrawal lines, all in non-government-controlled areas of Donetsk and Luhansk regions, including in residential areas.
• The Mission facilitated and monitored adherence to localised ceasefires to enable repairs to and the operation of critical civilian infrastructure, including to enable repairs to water infrastructure and construction work in government-controlled and non-government-controlled areas of Luhansk region.
• The SMM continued following up on the situation of civilians amid the COVID-19 pandemic, including at an entry-exit checkpoint in Luhansk region.
• The Mission’s freedom of movement continued to be restricted.*

KYIV, 23 October 2020 – Observers from the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) will hold an online press conference to present their preliminary conclusions following the local elections in Ukraine.

What:

• An online press conference of the international observer team sent by ODIHR for the local elections in Ukraine
• The press conference can be followed on livestream, at www.facebook.com/osce.odihr
• Journalists wishing to ask questions will be able to do so via Zoom (see details below)

Who:

• Ingibjörg Sólrún Gísladóttir, Head of the ODIHR limited election observation mission

When:

• 15:00, Monday, 26 October 2020

Registration:

• Journalists wishing to ask questions via Zoom should register with Thomas Rymer, mission spokesperson, thomas.rymer@odihr.org.ua, and Veronica Laputska, media analyst, veronica.laputska@odihr.org.ua by 12:00 on 26 October 2020.

VIENNA, 23 October 2020 – The third OSCE Gender Equality Review Conference on assessing progress achieved in the implementation of the 2004 OSCE Action Plan for the Promotion of Gender Equality will take place online on 27 and 28 October 2020, with the participation of Finnish President Sauli Niinistö and Albania’s Minister of Health and Social Protection, Ogerta Manastirliu.

The aim of the Conference is to promote a more systematic implementation of OSCE gender equality commitments by the OSCE’s participating States and the Organization’s Executive Structures across the three dimensions through targeted activities in priority areas. The previous Conference took place three years ago.

The focus will be on areas such as women’s participation in political and public life, their participation in the security sector and women´s economic empowerment.

The event will provide a space to discuss emerging issues that have an impact on the promotion and realization of gender equality in the OSCE region, such as digitalization and increase in cyber violence against women and girls.

The conference opens at 13:00 hrs on Tuesday, 27 October with addresses by the high-level speakers:

Sauli Niinistö, President of Finland

Ogerta Manastirliu, Minister of Health and Social Protection of Albania

Kelley Currie, Ambassador-at-Large for Global Women’s Issues at the United States’ Department of State

Asa Regner, United Nations Assistant Secretary-General and Deputy Executive Director UN Women

Tuula Yrjölä, Officer-in-Charge/Secretary General, Director of the OSCE Conflict Prevention Centre

Katarzyna Gardapkhadze, First Deputy Director/Director’s Alternate of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights.

Representatives of OSCE participating States, Partners for Co-operation, executive structures, civil society, academia and the private sector will attend.

Media representatives can follow the opening of the conference from 13:00 to 14:00 via livestream https://www.osce.org/live

More information about the event can be found here

468108 Communication and Media Relations Section

A three-day online training course for over 70 practitioners from the five Central Asian states on the effective investigation of crimes committed in cyberspace and with the use of digital technologies concluded on 23 October 2020. The event was organized by the OSCE Secretariat’s Transnational Threats Department jointly with the UN Office of Counter-Terrorism - UN Centre for Counter-Terrorism (UNCCT- UNOCT), and the UN Regional Centre for Preventive Diplomacy in Central Asia (UNRCCA) with the support of the OSCE field operations in Central Asia.

The practitioners from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan work in investigating crimes committed in cyberspace and with the use of digital technologies, as well as requesting, processing and handling digital evidence, in their respective countries.

“Terrorist and violent extremist actors have learned how to harness new technologies to great effect and we have witnessed the expansion of their activities in cyberspace,” said Oguljeren Niyazberdiyeva, Chief of the Office of the Under-Secretary-General for Counter-Terrorism. “The ongoing COVID-19 environment has exacerbated vulnerabilities and conditions conducive to terrorism as the whole world increasingly lives their lives in the virtual space generating ever increasing opportunities for terrorism-related cyber-crimes.”

Ambassador Alena Kupchyna, OSCE Co-ordinator to address Transnational Threats, said: “Issues related to improving the effectiveness of the investigation of cybercrimes and cyber-enabled terrorist offences are of increasing relevance in many countries. This emphasizes the need to develop the capacity of national criminal justice systems to investigate these types of crimes while ensuring respect for the rule of law and respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms.”

Philipp Saprykin, Deputy Head of UNRCCA said: “Together with our partners, UNRCCA continues to provide capacity-building assistance to Central Asian countries in priority areas identified through our regular consultations with Member States.”

The training was conducted by representatives and experts of the OSCE, the UNCCT-UNOCT, UNRCCA, the Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate (CTED) and the UN Office on Drugs and Crime. They familiarized participants with best international practices and case studies in cybercrime investigations, as well as countering the use of the Internet for terrorist purposes, based on respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms.

This training was held during the month-long global campaign to raise awareness about cybersecurity and became the first event implemented as part of the Biennial Action Plan (2019-2021) for the implementation of the Memorandum of Understanding between the UNOCT and the OSCE signed between the former OSCE Secretary General Thomas Greminger and UN Under-Secretary-General and UNOCT Head Vladimir Voronkov in September 2019.

COPENHAGEN, 22 October 2020 – Exiled Belarusian opposition figure Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya visited the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly’s International Secretariat today and met with OSCE PA Secretary General Roberto Montella. The visit was on the margins of a broader programme of meetings in the Danish capital and served as an opportunity to follow up on a web dialogue hosted by the PA on 23 September 2020 with OSCE PA Bureau members, Tsikhanouskaya, and Belarusian Head of Delegation Andrei Savinykh.

Accompanied by her advisor, Franak Viacorka, Tsikhanouskaya shared her views with Montella on the current situation in Belarus and prospects for dialogue with the authorities in Minsk. She welcomed the invocation of the OSCE Moscow Mechanism, called for increased attention on human rights violations, and urged continued international pressure. She also stressed the need for protests in Belarus to be non-violent and emphasized that the Belarusian situation is not of a geopolitical nature.

SG Montella offered the OSCE PA as an impartial platform for dialogue and underlined his continued efforts to engage with the key players in Minsk in order to create a direct channel dialogue and communication between Tsikhanouskaya and the Belarus authorities. He noted the many actions taken so far by the OSCE PA leadership and stressed again the need to keep public assemblies peaceful and the expectation of a non-violent law enforcement posture. 

Joana Karapataqi, OSCE Presence in Albania

A training course on the concepts and techniques of crime analysis for the Albanian State Police, organized by the OSCE Presence in Albania, was held from 20 to 23 October 2020 in Tirana.

An international expert, with vast experience in this field, trained 18 senior and junior analysts from different Regional Police Directorates, who are in charge of crime analysis programmes development.

Crime analysis is a systematic process which aims at providing timely information about trends and patterns in crime. Law enforcers use the information from the analysis in many areas such as solving crimes, apprehending offenders, and planning police resources.

A recent gap analysis conducted by an expert from the European Border and Coast Guard Agency (FRONTEX) within the Border and Migration Police Department of the Albanian State Police indicated the need for further efforts in increasing the quality of analytical work. The Ministry of Interior therefore requested the Presence for support in the area of crime analysis.

This course will enable the participating analysts to identify possible trends, relationships or connections between different crimes in different places, and use the analysis to support law enforcement activities by studying criminal data. As a result, the trained analysts will be able to generate a diverse range of analytical products such as analytical reports, regional threat assessments and/or specific crimes assessments, risk assessments for a particular event, bulletins or monthly reports.

OSCE Presence in Albania remains committed to support the Albanian State Police in building professional capacities in this field. Next year the Presence plans to conduct another advanced training program for the executives and trainers of the Albanian State Police in the field of crime analysis.

SDGs SDGs:  16 - Peace, justice and strong institutions

Summary

• The SMM recorded 49 ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and none in Luhansk region. In the previous reporting period, it recorded three ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and none in Luhansk region.
• The SMM continued monitoring the disengagement areas near Stanytsia Luhanska, Zolote and Petrivske. During evening and night hours, an SMM long-range unmanned aerial vehicle spotted people inside the latter two disengagement areas.
• The Mission facilitated and monitored adherence to localised ceasefires to enable repairs to and the operation of critical civilian infrastructure, including repairs to water infrastructure near Pankivka and to enable construction work north and south of the bridge in Shchastia, in government-controlled and non-government-controlled areas of Luhansk region.
• The SMM continued following up on the situation of civilians amid the COVID-19 pandemic, including at an entry-exit checkpoint in Luhansk region.
• The Mission’s freedom of movement continued to be restricted.*

Željka Šulc

The OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), in co-operation with the civil society organization (CSO) "Zašto ne?" Sarajevo launched a new web platform, www.glasometar.ba, on 22 October 2020, to support the development of a Voting Advice Application (VAA) in Brčko District. The VAA is designed to help voters make informed decisions in the run-up to, and during elections.

VAAs, used in many western democracies, facilitate informed voting by making it easier for voters to research party policies and platforms, thus assisting voters in making an informed decision with their votes. This application is tailored to enable a voter to compare personal political preferences with the positions of competing political parties. 

In co-ordination with the Mission, "Zašto ne?" created a set of questions on practical policy issues and general ideology in which political parties often have diverging views. As the political parties answer these questions, voters can see to what extent their political preferences are aligned with each political party.

“This application will provide voters with access to concrete information about political parties and candidates in the run-up to the municipal elections in Brčko District, making it possible to vote based on concrete proposals put forward by candidates,” said  Head of the OSCE Mission to BiH Kathleen Kavalec. “Making comparative data on political platforms of the candidates easily available to citizens through technology is a welcome step forward for democracy in Brčko District. Citizens should be well informed as they exercise their right to make political choices about the future of their communities in free and fair elections."  

The project is implemented as part of the project that aims at improving the 2020 electoral process in Brčko District in line with electoral recommendations by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) and national legislation.

The OSCE Mission to BiH remains dedicated to assisting Brčko District in the upcoming election process so that voters can familiarize themselves with political parties’ views and policies.

467955 Colin McCullough, OSCE Programme Office in Nur-Sultan

The OSCE Programme Office in Nur-Sultan in co-operation with the Supreme Court, the NGO Legal Media Centre, Internews Kazakhstan and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) organized an online seminar on the protection of freedom of expression and the judicial regulation of defamation on 22 October 2020. Fifty-eight judges of the Supreme Court and the city courts of Nur-Sultan, Almaty, Shymkent and regions (oblasts) throughout the country participated in the seminar.

The event familiarized participants with the experience and practices of defamation cases, and an expert from a Russian-based NGO explained to participants how judicial practices on defamation are applied in the Russian Federation. The seminar also covered trials concerning the protection of reputation, and participants discussed various methodologies that can be applied in their work.

The event is part of the Office’s activities aimed at promoting media freedom and freedom of expression in line with OSCE principles and commitments.

VIENNA, 22 October 2020 – The Office of the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media (RFoM) launched today a report on the handling of the media during public assemblies. The report elaborates on the role of both law enforcement agencies and journalists during such public events, and offers observations and recommendations in order for the media to be able to provide coverage without undue hindrance.

In recent years, there has been a worrying number of instances where journalists received particularly harsh treatment at the hands of law-enforcers while covering public assemblies in the OSCE region. On top of this, a rise in verbal and physical attacks on journalists committed by demonstrators and bystanders in several OSCE participating States has been observed.

“All people have a right to be informed about all public assemblies, including violent and unlawful ones, that are being held in their societies and about the reaction of the public authorities thereto,” said Jürgen Heissel, Director of the Office of the OSCE RFoM. “Since journalists play a crucial role in providing information, it is paramount that the media should be able to access and report on public assemblies safely and without undue interference.”

The report can be found here: https://www.osce.org/files/f/documents/2/f/467892.pdf

SDGs SDGs:  16 - Peace, justice and strong institutions

Summary

• The SMM recorded three ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and none in Luhansk region. In the previous reporting period, it recorded 19 ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and none in Luhansk region.
• The SMM continued monitoring the disengagement areas near Stanytsia Luhanska, Zolote and Petrivske. During night hours, an SMM long-range unmanned aerial vehicle spotted people inside the latter two disengagement areas.
• The Mission facilitated and monitored adherence to localised ceasefires to enable repairs to and the operation of critical civilian infrastructure, including repairs to water infrastructure near Pankivka and to enable construction work north and south of the bridge in Shchastia, in government-controlled and non-government-controlled areas of Luhansk region.
• The SMM continued following up on the situation of civilians amid the COVID-19 pandemic, including at an entry-exit checkpoint in Luhansk region.
• The Mission’s freedom of movement continued to be restricted.*

VIENNA, 21 October 2020 - The OSCE’s vital role in the implementation of the Women, Peace and Security agenda was the focus of the high-level event “OSCE enhancing the UN Security Council Resolution 1325: Gender equality for a more peaceful world”.

The online event was hosted by Albania’s 2020 OSCE Chairmanship, the Permanent Mission of Finland to the OSCE and Sweden, the 2021 OSCE incoming Chair. The meeting commemorated the 20th anniversary of the UN Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security and discussed how to accelerate the implementation of the Resolution with special focus on the importance of women’s full, equal and meaningful participation in conflict resolution, mediation and decision-making.

The guest speaker of the event, Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs of the United Nations H.E. Ms. Rosemary DiCarlo in her remarks outlined key areas for action to achieve for the full implementation of the Women, Peace and Security agenda.

Albania’s Deputy Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, Agron Tare, noted how the implementation of his country’s National Action Plan 2018-2020 on Women, Peace and Security has raised women’s leadership in the areas of women’s rights and in building a sustainable and peaceful society.

The State Secretary of the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Finland, Johanna Sumuvuori, highlighted the need for an OSCE-wide action plan on Women, Peace and Security and underlined the need to empower women in mediation and peace processes. She also elaborated on how the participating States could do more within the OSCE on this topic.

Key findings on the promotion of women’s participation and leadership in peace negotiations, mediation and preventive dialogues were highlighted by the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Sweden, Robert Rydberg. He also outlined the incoming OSCE Chair’s priorities concerning the Women, Peace and Security agenda for 2021.

The participants heard from representatives of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights and the OSCE Conflict Prevention Centre on the challenges in implementing Resolution 1325 in the OSCE region. Participants discussed how the Organization as a whole can work more effectively to implement the Women, Peace and Security Agenda and how co-operation between participating States can be strengthened.

Communication and Media Relations Section

The Balkan Asset Management Interagency Network (BAMIN), which is being supported by the OSCE through an extra-budgetary project, organized online workshops on the management of movable assets seized from criminals, particularly confiscated vehicles, from 6 to 16 October 2020. More than 50 members of the judiciary and law enforcement representatives from some 14 full member, associate and observer jurisdictions of BAMIN as well as participants from Georgia, Greece, Italy and the Netherlands participated in the workshops. The workshops were conducted over an online platform and involved participant engagement in different cases studies.

“Asset management plays a crucial role in the asset recovery process,” said Andrea D’Angelo of Associazione SAFE, the OSCE implementing partner supporting the BAMIN Secretariat’s daily operations. “The BAMIN Secretariat has adopted the strategy of involving investigators and prosecutors from different jurisdictions to role-play as asset management officers in order to understand the limitations that Asset Management Offices (AMOs) face throughout the seizure and confiscations of assets.”

His colleague Alessandro D’Autillio added: “The workshop highlighted legal limitations in certain jurisdictions that impede AMOs to perform their tasks properly and efficiently. It also showed the importance of involving AMOs from the start, during the pre-seizure phase, the long-term management of assets and finally their sale. Participants recognized the importance of the involvement of AMOs and continuous communications with law enforcement representatives and prosecutors.”

The OSCE is supporting BAMIN through an extra-budgetary project to strengthen the fight against transnational crime and corruption in South-Eastern Europe through improved regional co-operation in asset seizure, confiscation, management and re-use. The project is a joint activity by OSCE Transnational Threats Department (TNTD) and the Office of the Co-ordinator of OSCE Economic and Environmental Activities (OCEEA).

Praising the holding of the workshop, Denise Mazzolani, Deputy Head of the Strategic Police Matters Unit at TNTD, said:  “Engaging and innovative training is critical to improving the expertise of, and strengthening collaboration among different stakeholders.”

“Successful recovery and management of seized assets can occur only through close co-operation and better understanding of the role each agency involved in the process plays and what challenges they face,” added Iris Pilika, Programme Officer at OCEEA.

The project is financially supported by the United States Department of State, Italy and Germany.

467826 OSCE Centre in Ashgabat

The OSCE Centre in Ashgabat organized a number of activities to provide support in modernizing journalism education and promoting freedom of expression. The events included an online course on freedom of expression for journalism students and online presentation of a model module on freedom of expression for journalism faculties designed by OSCE experts.

The three-day course took place from  19 to 21 October 2020 and brought together journalism students from the Institute of International Relations of Turkmenistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the International University for Humanities and Development and the Magtymguly Turkmen State University

The course covered the principle of freedom of expression and relevant international standards and national legislation in Central Asian countries. The course presented concepts such as access to information, state, professional and commercial secrets as well as relations between the media and state bodies.

“This year, the OSCE participating States are celebrating the forty-fifth anniversary of the Organization’s guiding document, the Helsinki Final Act, which, among others, consolidated such important principles, as freedom of information and freedom of journalistic profession,” said Natalya Drozd, Head of the OSCE Centre in Ashgabat.

An international expert briefed participants about regulation and self-regulation of the media, legal status of journalists and protection of honour, dignity and private life. The internet as a subject of legal regulation and dissemination of information was also among the topics addressed.

“Freedom of expression is a fundamental human right and is particularly important for journalists. We organized this course to support the implementation of the National Human Rights Action Plan of Turkmenistan (NHRAP) for 2016-2020. The plan envisages the development of a module on freedom of expression for journalism faculties and we are confident that such a module is essential in the education of future journalists. This will help them enhance their knowledge about rights and duties of journalists and mechanisms of their safeguarding,” added Drozd.

The course also addressed such topical issues as media and elections, journalism and conflict. The students exchanged views on the commercial activities of media and copyright in journalism.

The online presentation of the model module was held on 8 October 2020 and brought together journalism and law instructors from Turkmenistan’s institutions of higher education, representatives of the Mejlis (parliament), the Ministry of Education, the Office of the Ombudsman, the Institute of State, Law and Democracy and other relevant institutions. An international expert presented the module, which included a concept note, outlines of lectures and assignments for practical classes, recommended literature, as well as recommended methods of teaching, questions and assignments for tests or exam and evaluation criteria. The Centre initiated the development of the model module to provide support in the implementation of the relevant provision of NHRAP for 2016 -2020.

SDGs SDGs:  16 - Peace, justice and strong institutions

Summary

• The SMM recorded 19 ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and none in Luhansk region. In the previous 24 hours, it recorded 18 ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and none in Luhansk region.
• The Mission continued monitoring the disengagement areas near Stanytsia Luhanska, Zolote and Petrivske.
• The SMM facilitated and monitored adherence to localised ceasefires to enable repairs to and the operation of critical civilian infrastructure.
• The SMM continued following up on the situation of civilians amid the COVID-19 pandemic, including at an entry-exit checkpoint in Luhansk region.
• The Mission’s freedom of movement continued to be restricted.*

SUMMARY

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 slightly increased at both BCPs compared to the previous week.

OPERATIONAL REMARKS

The OM is currently operating with 22 permanent international Mission members, including the Chief Observer (CO) and one first responder[1]. The Mission is supported administratively by a staff member and the Chief of Fund Administration based in Vienna.

Update on COVID-19 measures

Activities have been impacted by COVID-19 and measures undertaken by the OM to ensure the safety and duty of care of its Mission members and compliance with measures set by the host country authorities. The Mission is continuing to keep the situation under review, in close contact with the OSCE Secretariat and the Chairmanship. Following the host country recommendations, the observers are adhering to social distancing. Due to the preventive measures taken by the central and regional authorities, the OM is faced with certain difficulties, but is still able to continue to fulfil its mandate without any limitations in its observation and reporting activities.

OBSERVATIONS AT THE BORDER CROSSING POINTS

Persons crossing the border

The profile of persons crossing the border can be categorized as follows:

1. Adults travelling on foot or by car with little or no luggage.
2. Persons in military-style outfits.
3. Families (often including elderly persons and/or children) travelling on foot or by car with a significant amount of luggage.

The average number of entries/exits slightly increased from 7,709 to 7,888 per day at both BCPs compared to last week[2].

During the reporting period, the majority of border crossings were to the Russian Federation, with an average net flow of 32 per day for both BCPs. The Donetsk BCP continued to experience much more traffic than the Gukovo BCP.

Responding to the COVID-19 situation, the host country has closed its borders for the majority of foreigners starting from 18 March. Among the exceptions of persons allowed to cross the border (which entered into force on 19 March), are Ukrainian citizens and stateless persons holding passports or identification documents proving permanent residence in certain areas of Luhansk and Donetsk regions of Ukraine. In addition, reportedly, due to the threat of the spread of COVID-19, starting from 10 April, the organized passenger transport commuting between the non-government-controlled areas of Luhansk region of Ukraine and the Russian Federation was temporarily suspended and restored from 25 June.

Persons in military-style outfits

During the reporting period, the number of persons in military-style outfits crossing the border was six, compared to two last week. Three persons crossed into the Russian Federation while another three persons crossed into Ukraine. These individuals crossed the border on foot.

Families with a significant amount of luggage

The OTs continued to report on families, sometimes with elderly persons and/or children, crossing the border at both BCPs with a significant amount of luggage, or travelling in heavily loaded cars. During this reporting week, six families were observed crossing into the Russian Federation while three families were observed crossing into Ukraine, compared to the previous reporting period when nine families were observed crossing to the Russian Federation, while five families crossed into Ukraine.

Bus connections                                         

Regular local and long-distance bus connections continued to operate between Ukraine (mostly from/to the Luhansk region) and the Russian Federation. During the reporting period, the OTs observed a decrease in the overall number of buses crossing the border at both BCPs (276 compared to 302 observed during the previous week). There were 144 buses bound for the Russian Federation and 132 bound for Ukraine.

On some occasions, the OTs noticed the bus drivers removing the itinerary signs from the windshields of their buses, while some buses did not display their route at all. The majority of long-distance buses commuting between the Luhansk region and cities in the Russian Federation had Ukrainian licence plates issued in the Luhansk region.

Trucks

During the reporting period, the OTs observed a decrease in the overall number of trucks crossing the border at both BCPs (871 compared to 935 during the previous reporting week); 496 at the Gukovo BCP and 375 at the Donetsk BCP, 452 of these trucks crossed into the Russian Federation and 419 crossed into Ukraine. Most of the trucks observed by the OTs had Ukrainian licence plates issued in the Luhansk region; however, on a daily basis, the OTs also noted trucks registered in the Russian Federation, Belarus, Lithuania and trucks with “LPR” plates.

The OTs also continued to observe tanker trucks crossing the border in both directions. During the reporting period, the OTs observed a decrease in the overall number of tanker trucks crossing the border at both BCPs (47 compared to 60 during the previous reporting week). These trucks were observed crossing the border at both BCPs. The trucks had the words “Propane” and “Flammable” written across the tanks in either Russian or Ukrainian. The majority of tanker trucks had hazard signs, indicating that they were transporting propane or a mix of propane and butane. All trucks underwent systematic inspection by the Russian Federation officials, which could include an X-ray check. Due to the unfavourable observation position at the Gukovo BCP, the OTs continued to be unable to observe any X-ray checks.

During the reporting period, the X-ray vehicle at the Donetsk BCP was not operating due to the ongoing construction activities; consequently, no X-ray checks were observed by the OTs.

Minivans

The OM continued to observe passenger and cargo minivans[3] crossing the border in both directions at both BCPs. The OTs observed minivans predominantly with Ukrainian licence plates issued in the Luhansk region; however, the OTs also saw minivans registered in the Russian Federation. During the reporting period, the OTs observed an increase in the overall number of minivans crossing the border at both BCPs (156 compared to 135 observed during the previous week); 84 crossed into the Russian Federation and another 72 into Ukraine.

Trains

The OTs continued to pick up the sound of trains on the railway tracks located approximately 150m south-west of the Gukovo BCP. During the reporting week, the OTs heard trains on 31 occasions; the OTs assessed that 17 trains were travelling to the Russian Federation and the remaining 14 trains were travelling to Ukraine (more details are provided in the sections “trends and figures at a glance” below).

Visual observation was not possible because of the line of trees located between the train tracks and the BCP.

Other observations

The majority of vehicles crossing the border had Ukrainian licence plates issued in the Luhansk region or Russian Federation licence plates. A significant number of vehicles with “LPR” plates were also observed crossing the border in both directions on a daily basis. The OTs also observed vehicles with Georgian and Belarusian licence plates.

During the reporting week, the OTs at the Donetsk BCP observed ambulances on two separate occasions:

On 13 October at 14:15, an ambulance with Russian Federation licence plates, entered the BCP from the Russian Federation and parked behind the main building. At 14:35, the ambulance drove back to the Russian Federation with one patient on board. The OT was unable to notice any other details from its position.

On 15 October at 12:26, an ambulance entered the BCP from the Russian Federation side and after undergoing border control procedures crossed into Ukraine at 12:33. The OT did not notice any other details from its position.

For trends and figures at a glance covering the period from 15 September to 20 October 2020, please see the attachment here.

[1]                      First responders are OSCE staff or Mission members deployed for a short period of time.

[2]              Based on data received from the Regional Representation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation.

[3]              Cargo minivans: light commercial vehicles with a maximum authorized mass of more than 3.5 t and not more than 7.5 t; with or without a trailer with a maximum mass of less than 750 kg (small cargo vehicles which correspond to driving licence C1).

Željka Šulc

The OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) supports the Press Council’s “STOP! Hate Speech” campaign launched on 16 October 2020. The aim of this campaign is to identify and respond to hate speech in online commentary during the 2020 local election campaign.

From 16 October to 16 November, the “STOP! Hate Speech” campaign aims to monitor and analyse user comments across 15 internet web portals in BiH.

“Hate speech, discriminatory and inciting rhetoric do not represent freedom of speech, but rather an abuse, which is subject to criminal liability. It is an editorial obligation to remove any such comment from a website, and in extreme cases co-operate with the police and prosecutors’ offices in order to determine the identity of persons abusing this freedom,” said Dzenana Burek, Executive Director of the Press Council in BiH.

Stressing the fact that hate speech increased on internet portals in recent years, Ambassador Kathleen Kavalec, Head of the OSCE Mission to BiH said: “It is important to unite our efforts and to combat spreading views that could nourish intolerance or spark conflict in local communities.  We call upon all candidates, politicians and citizens to refrain from using offensive, divisive or humiliating language.  Use of such language is reckless and dangerous.”