OSCE Chair-in-Office and Secretary General condemn “sentencing” of Vadym Golda, call for immediate release of all three detained OSCE officials

VALLETTA/VIENNA, 12 July – The OSCE Chair-in-Office, Minister for Foreign and European Affairs and Trade of Malta Ian Borg, and OSCE Secretary General, Helga Maria Schmid, unequivocally condemn today’s sentencing of OSCE official Vadym Golda to 14 years in prison as a result of so-called “legal proceedings” and call for the immediate release of all three OSCE officials in detention, which also include Maxim Petrov and Dmytro Shabanov.  

“The unjust and inhumane treatment faced by our detained colleagues is unacceptable and undermines the spirit of co-operation within our Organization. It represents a grave violation of participating States’ commitments under international law and the Helsinki Final Act,” Minister Borg emphasized. “The Maltese Chairpersonship of the OSCE remains committed to supporting the Secretary General’s call for the immediate release of the three OSCE officials. This injustice must come to an end,” he said.

“Individuals working under an international mandate, such as OSCE officials, should never face arrest, harassment or detention for fulfilling their responsibilities,” Secretary General Schmid said.

“As Secretary General, I will not relent in my efforts and do everything possible to bring Vadym, Maxim and Dmytro back home to their families and loved ones. We will keep standing firmly for justice and their human rights,” she stressed.

Chair-in-Office Borg and Secretary General Schmid also reiterated their call for the OSCE participating States and third parties to support their efforts to secure the immediate release all three OSCE officials. They further called on those responsible for depriving the three OSCE officials of their liberty to release them without delay.

Background information

Three OSCE officials – Vadym Golda, Maxim Petrov and Dmytro Shabanov – were detained in April 2022 in Donetsk and Luhansk, where they had been performing their official duties as mandated by all 57 participating States.

In September 2022, Maxim Petrov and Dmytro Shabanov were “sentenced” to 13 years in prison as a result of so-called “legal proceedings”.  

In addition to the ongoing efforts of OSCE Chair-in-Office Borg and OSCE Secretary General Schmid, both publicly and in private, the OSCE remains in close contact with relevant stakeholders, including other international organizations, to facilitate the release of detained OSCE officials. The OSCE also continues to support the detainees’ families during this difficult time.