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OSCE Denounces Arrest of Kazakh Journalist

Ramazan Yesergepov, a Kazakh journalist who published internal documents from the Kazakh National Security Committee, was sentenced to three years of incarceration for breach of security.  Miklos Haraszti, the OSCE Representative on Freedom in the Media, states that the charge and sentence not only violate international media standards, but also undermine the very profession of journalism itself.

 
Results of Bulgarian Election Monitoring Overall Satisfactory

According to the OSCE, the Bulgarian parliamentary elections held on 5 July took place in accordance to international standards, for the most part. There were, however, allegations of vote-buying, and sudden changes to the country's electoral legislation may have negatively influenced the elections' result.

 
Albanian Parliamentary Elections Show Signs of Improvement, Areas to Improve

While noting a generally calm atmosphere and significant improvement in the fields of voter registration and identification, the OSCE's International Election Observation Mission stated that Albania's parliamentary elections were nonetheless marked by family voting, inking procedures, and the overt politicization of certain procedural aspects. Among the grievances stated features pressure exerted on voters by Albania's Democratic Party.

 
OSCE Foreign Ministers Meet in Corfu

In an effort to consolidate all necessary forces to resolve security challenges, the OSCE foreign ministers meeting in Corfu drafted their "Corfu Process," wherein the need for "open, sustained, wide-ranging and inclusive dialogue on security" was underlined. The current economic crisis, terrorism, and trafficking all figured among hurdles which member-states must confront.  To read the press conference released after the meeting, click here.

 
Torture Prevention Conference in Almaty

In honor of the International Day in Support of Victims of Torture, the OSCE organized a conference in Kazakhstan devoted to better implementing the UN's "Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment." Participants pledged to better coordinate their monitoring efforts and create a solid preventative anti-torture mechanism at the governmental level.