All OSCE participating States have committed themselves to respect the internationally recognized human rights to freedom of movement and residence within the borders of each state, as well as to leave any country, including one’s own. In the 1990 Copenhagen Document, the states also affirmed that “freer contacts among their citizens are important in the context of the protection and promotion of human rights and fundamental freedoms.”  Freedom of movement was an especially salient issue during Communist times, when the Soviet Union and other Soviet-dominated countries severely limited emigration, family reunification, family visits and other human contacts.  While respect for freedom of movement has come a long way since then, the right to leave and return to one’s country still eludes many citizens in the OSCE region. Several OSCE participating States inhibit external and internal movement through exit visa regimes and other mechanisms that frequently target activists, human rights defenders and political opposition figures.

Throughout the decades, the Commission has addressed violations of freedom of movement in various participating States, in hearings and briefings, meetings with representatives of governments and parliaments of countries of concern, statements, letters and other venues. The Commission has also contributed to official U.S. efforts to raise freedom of movement violations, including statements at the annual OSCE Human Dimension Implementation Review meetings.