Posted on 06/24/2022 1:12:23 PM PDT by UMCRevMom@aol.com
By blocking the extension of the mandate of the OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Ukraine, Russia apparently wants to completely dismantle all the Organization's instruments in Ukraine.
This is stated in a statement issued by the EU at a meeting of the OSCE Permanent Council in Vienna, Ukrinform.
"Russia seems determined to dismantle all OSCE instruments one by one, while remaining committed to obstructing or abolishing all instruments that would bring us closer to transparency, mediation, reconciliation and, ultimately, lasting peace. This has been the case with all OSCE field operations in Ukraine, "the EU said in response to a report by Henrik Willadsen, the OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Ukraine.
It was reminded at the meeting that Russia first managed to close the OSCE observation mission in September 2021 at the Gukove and Donetsk border checkpoints. Then the Russians forced the closure of the Special Monitoring Mission in Ukraine in April 2022.
Read more: Assault around southern outskirts of Lysychansk is repulsed, enemy captured Mykolaivka in Bakhmut direction, - General Staff
"In addition, Russian-backed armed groups are holding members of the SMM mission in Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts of Ukraine, despite their functional protection as OSCE personnel. This is completely unacceptable. We strongly condemn this fact and call for their immediate release. Now the office of the Project Coordinator in Ukraine has become the next target of obstruction by Russia," the statement said.
The EU stressed its strong support for the extension of the mandate of the OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Ukraine.
"We deeply regret the statement of the Russian Federation about the intention to block the agreement on the extension of the mandate of the Project Coordinator in Ukraine. We continue to call on Russia to reconsider its position in order to enable the Project Coordinator in Ukraine to continue its important work in Ukraine," the statement said.
wutinell is OSCE anyway?
OSCE has been useless and failed to act on the ceasefire violations by Ukraine that Russia has tabulated.
They lost any chance at credibility in a post war settlement.
Bingo and well noted.
The OSCE stands for: the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe.
With 57 States from Europe, Central Asia and North America, the OSCE is the world’s largest regional security organization.
IMPUNITY FOR TORTURE COMMITTED DURING ARMED CONFLICT IS NOT AN OPTION, OSCE human rights head says
WARSAW 23 June 2022
https://www.osce.org/odihr/521098
WARSAW, 24 June 2022 – Ensuring accountability is the most effective means of ending the use of torture and ill-treatment committed during armed conflicts, the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) said ahead of the International Day in Support of Victims of Torture on 26 June.
“The importance of holding perpetrators of torture to account is crucial if we are to prevent it taking place in the future,” said ODIHR Director Matteo Mecacci. “This also makes accountability an important factor in any peacebuilding efforts. And where impunity is tolerated, efforts to prevent torture cannot succeed.”
While torture and other ill-treatment are prohibited by international law, they remain widespread during armed conflict. The fact that prisoners of war are associated with enemy forces means that they are particularly at risk, even though torture or inhuman treatment of POWs are considered grave breaches of the Geneva Convention.
Women and girls are disproportionately vulnerable to sexual violence during armed conflict, which often amounts to torture and may be considered a war crime or crime against humanity under international humanitarian law. However, many victims are unwilling to report these crimes, often due to a sense of stigma and shame. Beyond the long-term consequences for survivors, sexual violence has an impact on the entire community, and failing to prosecute perpetrators can contribute to normalizing sexual violence and increase gender inequalities even after conflicts have ended.
At the same time, ensuring accountability for allegations of torture and other ill-treatment during armed conflict presents major challenges. These range from access to victims, through the ability to document allegations and preserve evidence, to the capacity and political will of states to adequately investigate these violations.
Torture or cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment are prohibited worldwide, and ODIHR works closely with its partners to move towards eradicating them entirely. All OSCE participating States have emphasized that no circumstance whatsoever, whether a state of war or a threat of war, internal political instability or any other public emergency can justify torture. In 2020, all the 57 states of the OSCE recognized that a special focus should be made on preventing torture and other cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment during armed conflicts.
https://www.osce.org/odihr/521098
Who we are
The OSCE has a comprehensive approach to security that encompasses politico-military, economic and environmental, and human aspects. It therefore addresses a wide range of security-related concerns, including arms control, confidence- and security-building measures, human rights, national minorities, democratization, policing strategies, counter-terrorism and economic and environmental activities. All 57 participating States enjoy equal status, and decisions are taken by consensus on a politically, but not legally binding basis.
https://www.osce.org/whatistheosce
Are these the 57 states Barack Obama was talking about?
Thanks. The “journalist” who wrote this forgot the first rule of acronyms....ALWAYS use the full text term before adopting a contraction...damn’em.
Thanks.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.