COPENHAGEN, 31 July 2014 – Isabel Santos (MP, Portugal), the Chair of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly's Committee on Democracy, Human Rights and Humanitarian Questions, today expressed regret over the 30 July ruling by a Kazakhstani court to deny parole to jailed labour activist Roza Tuletayeva. "I regret the court's decision to keep Roza Tuletayeva behind bars, apparently for her outspokenness and activism on behalf of fellow oil workers. This

COPENHAGEN, 29 July 2014 – OSCE parliamentarians will travel to Turkey next week to observe the country’s upcoming presidential election and provide leadership for the OSCE's short-term observer mission. OSCE Chairperson-in-Office Didier Burkhalter has designated Vilija Aleknaite Abramikiene (MP, Lithuania) as Special Co-ordinator of the mission to observe the 10 August vote. Asa Lindestam (MP, Sweden) will serve as Head of the OSCE PA

COPENHAGEN, 25 July 2014 – Isabel Santos (MP, Portugal), the Chair of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly’s Committee on Democracy, Human Rights and Humanitarian Questions, today expressed concern over events this week in Russia that appear aimed at stifling civil society and political dissent. “While the world focuses on the crisis in Ukraine and Russia’s troubling role in those events, no one should overlook what has been a disturbing week of

COPENHAGEN, 18 July 2014 – OSCE Parliamentary Assembly President Ilkka Kanerva (MP, Finland) issued the following statement today on the crash of Malaysian Airlines flight MH17 over eastern Ukraine: "I deplore in the strongest possible terms the apparent downing of a Malaysian Airlines flight near Ukraine's border with Russia. On behalf of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, I extend my deepest condolences to the families and friends of the

Left to right: OSCE parliamentarians Margareta Cederfelt (Sweden), Gordana Comic (Serbia) and Arta Dade (Albania) at the OSCE's Gender Equality Review Conference on 11 July. COPENHAGEN, 11 July 2014 – Senior OSCE parliamentarians have addressed the OSCE’s Gender Equality Review Conference in Vienna, discussing the progress made and the challenges that remain in closing the gender gap within the Organization, the OSCE area and their respective

Newly elected OSCE PA President Ilkka Kanerva. BAKU, 2 July 2014 – Ilkka Kanerva, the former Foreign Minister of Finland and former Chairman-in-Office of the OSCE, was elected President of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly on the final day of its 2014 Annual Session in Baku. “It is my wish and personal ambition to recall the spirit of Helsinki,” said Kanerva, referring to the OSCE’s founding document, the Helsinki Final Act of 1975. “And above