COPENHAGEN, 17 March 2016 – OSCE Parliamentary Assembly President Ilkka Kanerva (MP, Finland) and the Chairperson of the OSCE PA Committee on Democracy, Human Rights and Humanitarian Questions, Isabel Santos (MP, Portugal), today welcomed the release of 148 individuals serving jail terms in Azerbaijan following a pardon decree issued by President Ilham Aliyev. The group includes human rights defenders, activists, journalists and members of

WASHINGTON, 16 March 2016 – OSCE Parliamentary Assembly Secretary General Roberto Montella met with high-ranking members of the U.S. Delegation to the PA in Washington this week for discussions on the Assembly’s current and future work and a range of pressing OSCE issues. The Secretary General met with the Head of the U.S. Delegation and PA Special Representative on Human Trafficking Issues, Christopher Smith; Deputy Head of Delegation and

COPENHAGEN, 14 March 2016 – OSCE Parliamentary Assembly President Ilkka Kanerva (MP, Finland) issued the following statement on the 13 March terrorist attack in Ankara: "The international community once again has the sad necessity of condemning a major terror attack in Turkey. On behalf of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, I deplore this heinous and unjustifiable act and reaffirm our solidarity with Turkey in the fight against terrorism. I

COPENHAGEN, 9 March 2016 – OSCE parliamentarians will observe the upcoming early parliamentary elections in Kazakhstan and provide leadership for the OSCE’s short-term observer mission. OSCE Chairperson-in-Office Frank-Walter Steinmeier has designated Marietta Tidei (MP, Italy) as Special Co-ordinator to lead the short-term OSCE observer mission for the 20 March vote. Geir Joergen Bekkevold (MP, Norway) will serve as Head of the OSCE

ROME, 4 March 2016 – The Chairperson of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly’s Committee on Democracy, Human Rights and Humanitarian Questions, Isabel Santos (MP, Portugal), and OSCE PA Secretary General Roberto Montella addressed high-level panels in Rome this week on the crisis of migrants and refugees and the international community’s response. On 4 March, Chairperson Santos joined senior government officials and representatives of a range of

VIENNA, 26 February 2016 – Lawmakers from across the 57-country OSCE area gathered today at the concluding session of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly’s 2016 Winter Meeting for a wide-ranging special debate on the crisis of migrants and refugees and ways to strengthen the collective response. The debate, featuring interventions by dozens of parliamentarians, including from countries of arrival, transit and destination, also featured a keynote