News and press releases

WARSAW, 6 October 2025 – As the OSCE marks the 50th anniversary of the Helsinki Final Act, we must recommit to the principles of democracy, human rights and the rule of law on which the organisation was founded in order to overcome global challenges, OSCE leaders said today as governments, international organizations, and civil society came together for a 10-day conference dedicated to the situation of human rights and fundamental freedoms across the OSCE area.

CHIŞINĂU, 29 September 2025 – Moldova’s parliamentary elections were competitive and offered voters a clear choice between political alternatives, but the process was marred by serious cases of foreign interference, illegal funding, cyberattacks and widespread disinformation, notwithstanding the authorities’ efforts to respond, international observers said in a statement today.

The OSCE Moscow Mechanism mission of experts undertaken by Professor Hervé Ascensio, Professor Veronika Bílková and Professor Mark Klamberg presented their findings to the OSCE Permanent Council on 25 September 2025, collected in the report entitled ‘Report on Possible Violations and Abuses of International Humanitarian and Human Rights Law, War Crimes and Crimes Against Humanity, Related to the Treatment of Ukrainian POWs by the Russian Federation’.

WARSAW, 9 September 2025 – The invitation by the Georgian authorities to observe the local elections taking place on 4 October, less than a month before election day, leaves insufficient time for credible and meaningful observation, the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) said in a statement today.

SKOPJE, 5 September 2025 – The OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) today opened an observation mission for the 19 October local elections in North Macedonia, following an invitation from the national authorities.

WARSAW, 22 August 2025 – Greater efforts are needed to support human rights defenders working to protect freedom of thought, conscience, religion or belief as a core human right at the heart of our democracies, the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) said on the International Day Commemorating the Victims of Acts of Violence Based on Religion or Belief.

On 24 July 2025 and following consultation with Ukraine, 41 OSCE participating States invoked the Moscow Mechanism “on violations and abuses of human rights and violations of IHL, including possible cases of war crimes and crimes against humanity, related to the treatment of Ukrainian POWs by the