OSCE Chairman-in-Office and Secretary General condemn sentencing of OSCE Mission members Petrov and Shabanov in Luhansk, demand their immediate release

WARSAW/VIENNA, 19 September 2022 – OSCE Chairman-in-Office, Polish Foreign Minister Zbigniew Rau, and OSCE Secretary General Helga Maria Schmid unequivocally condemn the sentencing of OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine (SMM) mission members Maxim Petrov and Dmytro Shabanov to 13 years in prison as a result of so-called “legal proceedings” and call for the immediate release of all three OSCE mission members in detention.

“Our colleagues remain OSCE staff members and had been performing official duties as mandated by all 57 participating States,” Schmid said. “I call for their immediate and unconditional release, along with our other colleague who is also being detained.”

“Our Mission members have been held unjustifiably for more than five months in unknown conditions for nothing but pure political theatre. It is inhumane and repugnant,” said Chairman Rau. 

The OSCE remains in close contact with relevant stakeholders, including other international organizations, to facilitate the release of detained SMM staff. The OSCE’s duty of care towards all of its employees continues during and after the closure of the SMM. The OSCE has and will continue to take steps to pursue all available channels to secure the privileges and immunities of current and former OSCE officials.