The US Department of State on Thursday said that US has invoked the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) Moscow Mechanism to establish an expert mission to examine reported human rights abuses and violations of humanitarian law by Russia in Ukraine.
State Department spokesperson Ned Price shared on Twitter, "the US & @OSCE partners invoked the Moscow Mechanism to establish an expert mission to examine reported human rights abuses & violations of humanitarian law by Russia in Ukraine. The mission will compile a factual record to inform accountability efforts."
The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) is the world's largest regional security-oriented intergovernmental organization with observer status at the United Nations.
Its mandate includes issues such as arms control, promotion of human rights, freedom of the press, and fair elections. It employs around 3,460 people, mostly in its field operations but also in its secretariat in Vienna, Austria, and its institutions.
It has its origins in the mid 1975 Conference on Security and Co-operation in Europe (CSCE) held in Helsinki, Finland. The OSCE is concerned with early warning, conflict prevention, crisis management, and post-conflict rehabilitation.
Most of its 57 participating countries are in Europe, but there are a few members present in Asia and North America. The participating states cover much of the land area of the Northern Hemisphere. It was created during the Cold War era as an East–West forum.
Russia has accused members of the Mission of working for the Ukrainian SBU and of spying on the pro-Russian separatists. Furthermore, Russia has accused the mission of bias after it reported troop movements from separatist forces, accusing the mission of ignoring similar moves from Ukraine.
Russia's foreign minister also has claimed that the mission failed to pay sufficient attention to human- and minority-rights within the Government-controlled areas of Ukraine. Furthermore, he criticised that the mission did not clearly attribute ceasefire violations to either side.
