OSCE Condemns Intimidation and Detention of OSCE Staff in Donetsk and Luhansk
The OSCE recently condemned the ongoing allegations against the Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine (SMM), who are currently in Russian custody. The OSCE called for the immediate release of the four national mission members detained in Donetsk and Luhansk.
The OSCE condemns the ongoing allegations against the Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine. / Picture: © Wikimedia Commons / OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine, CC BY 2.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)
Helga Maria Schmid, OSCE Secretary General, and Zbigniew Rau, OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, recently condemned the ongoing allegations against the Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine (SMM) and called for the immediate release of the four national mission members detained in Donetsk and Luhansk.
"The constant accusations against the members of the SMM mission are becoming more and more outrageous," the Secretary General said. "Our detained colleagues are being unjustly held and must be released immediately. This targeted campaign against the SMM and any intimidation or harassment of current or former OSCE personnel must stop immediately."
The Russian representative to the OSCE in Vienna, Alexander Lukashevich, had already spoken in April of the possibility that some SMM staff members may have been involved in espionage against Ukraine. At that time, Lukashevich stated that the Russian Investigative Committee (IC) was also investigating this matter. Both the "Donetsk People's Republic" and the "Luhansk People's Republic" took measures in this regard.
"The SMM has always provided objective information on the security and humanitarian situation in Ukraine," said the OSCE Chairman-in-Office. "I highly appreciate the professionalism, commitment and impartiality of the SMM staff. Their protection and integrity are our priority. Intimidation, harassment and hostile public statements that undermine their credibility and impartiality by spreading unfounded allegations are unacceptable."
The OSCE's duty of care to all its staff continues one month after the closure of the SMM. As the Secretary General has repeatedly communicated to all OSCE participating States and assured SMM staff, as a principle of international law, functional immunity for acts performed by SMM Mission members in their official capacity during their employment with the SMM should be preserved even after its dissolution. In order to safeguard the privileges and immunities of current and former OSCE officials, the OSCE has exhausted all available avenues.
The OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine (SMM) was deployed on March 21, 2014, following a request to the OSCE by the Ukrainian government and a consensus decision by all 57 OSCE participating States. The SMM is an unarmed, civilian mission that operated around the clock in all regions of Ukraine. Its main tasks were to monitor and report impartially and objectively on the situation in Ukraine and to facilitate dialogue among all those affected by the crisis.