Annual OSCE Conference in Warsaw

At the annual OSCE conference in Warsaw, representatives of the Tajik government will participate via videoconference, while opposition representatives will attend and speak in person.

The annual conference of the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) began on October 14, 2021, in Warsaw.

The conference opened with the participation of the leadership of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, the European Union, and Amnesty International, as well as other representatives of member states and international organizations.

Photo: Internet

Unlike previous years, when annual OSCE conferences lasted for ten working days and had a large number of participants, this year the conference will be two days long. Participants are attending either in person or via the online platform Zoom. The organizers of the conference stated that the inability to hold it in the previous format was due to disagreements among OSCE member states.

The composition of the Tajik government delegation participating in the conference, as well as the number of participants, is unknown. The opposition is represented by about 10 people – representatives of the National Alliance of Tajikistan, the Group 24 movement, and one representative of the relatives of political prisoners in Tajikistan.

No representatives of civil society from Tajikistan within the country will participate in the conference sessions.

At the conference, participants had fewer opportunities to present reports or share their problems. During yesterday’s sessions, experts or high-ranking guests from the OSCE spoke, discussing various topics, and at the end of each report, a few minutes were allocated for questions. It seemed that they deliberately chose those who asked questions, and some questions did not receive complete answers.

At the first session, which focused on human rights and democracy, Tajik opposition members and other representatives of civil society from various countries tried to ask questions to high-ranking OSCE representatives and voice their problems, but they were not given time. Since this year the ODIHR is celebrating its 30th anniversary, the organizers limited the topics discussed at the sessions – OSCE officials spoke more about the activities of the organization, its achievements, and failures.

Despite not disclosing any disagreements among OSCE member states, some experts believe that Russia and its allies, including Tajikistan, opposed holding the conference in the previous format. At previous conferences, representatives of the opposition from these countries actively raised their issues and caused a lot of trouble for government representatives.

‌‌ The Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights of the OSCE was established in 1991 with its headquarters in Warsaw, Poland. This year, the OSCE conference marked the 30th anniversary of the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights.