Congressman Cohen Calls for Release of OSCE Staff Members Detained in Ukraine

WASHINGTON -- On the two-year anniversary of the unjust detention of three Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) officials in the Russia-occupied region of Ukraine, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe Parliamentary Assembly’s Special Representative for Political Prisoners, Congressman Steve Cohen, issued the following statement:

“Two years ago, Russian proxies in the occupied regions of Ukraine arrested three Ukrainian OSCE staff members. Mr. Maksym Petrov and Mr. Dmytro Shabanov have already been ‘sentenced’ to 13 years in prison, while the so-called ‘legal proceedings’ concerning Mr. Vadym Golda are ongoing.  Their detention and sentencing was done in complete contravention of international norms. The three OSCE officials were detained while carrying out their official duties as mandated by 57 OSCE participating States, including Russia, and despite many protests by OSCE and others.

“The government of the Russian Federation and its proxies in the occupied regions of Ukraine must immediately release all three OSCE officials. Putin has made it clear he will not abide by international rules and norms, but Russia is a voluntary party to OSCE and must ensure all OSCE officials are fully protected.

“Therefore, in strong support of the recent statement issued by the OSCE Secretary General and the Chair-in-Office, I also take this opportunity to call upon all parliamentarians of the OSCE region to use their voices to raise this urgent matter with their Russian counterparts. This case must be resolved as soon as possible, with the three OSCE officials released and reunited with their families.”

Background:

The OSCE Special Monitoring Mission was an unarmed, civilian mission, operating on the ground in Ukraine. The SMM started its activities in March 2014, following a request to the OSCE by Ukraine’s Government and a consensus decision by all 57 OSCE participating States. Its main tasks were to observe and report in an impartial and objective manner on the security situation in Ukraine, and to facilitate dialogue among all parties to the conflict. The SMM discontinued its operations on March 31, 2022.

On September 19, 2022, Russian-backed proxy authorities in eastern Ukraine sentenced two former OSCE staff members to 13 years in prison on charges of high treason, whereas the so-called “legal proceedings” for another staff member are ongoing. The convictions came after the OSCE invoked the Moscow Mechanism, condemning Russia's human rights violations.

OSCE demanded an immediate release of the staff, reiterating they remain OSCE officials and had been performing official duties as mandated by all participating States.

The staff remain imprisoned in facilities in Luhansk, eastern Ukraine.

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