A/HRC/28/64/Add.1 Freedom of expression and media freedom should be guaranteed within the framework of the Constitution and international law, and respected in practice. All journalists should be free to work in safety and without threat of detention or violence. Nevertheless, evidence suggests that some media provided a distorted picture of events as they developed. Journalists and those who control media content have a responsibility to convey information accurately and objectively and to avoid propaganda or misinformation which may incite unrest or violence. V. Issues of minority identity in Ukraine 29. Given the historical, geopolitical and national/cultural contexts that have shaped independent Ukraine, issues of identity are complex and emotive. Many of those consulted self-identified primarily according to their national or ethnic origins in a kin-State, while placing less emphasis on their Ukrainian identity and citizenship. Ukraine consequently has numerous large minority groups with strong historical, ethnic, cultural and linguistic connections to neighbouring countries and clear historical narratives regarding their communities, and their “belonging” in Ukraine. The Special Rapporteur also interviewed representatives of groups, including Ruthenians, who felt that they had not been recognized as minorities or indigenous peoples, which is how they identified themselves. 30. Many representatives of minorities emphasized their strong and enduring relations with their kin-States and the fact that no barriers existed to their establishing associations and maintaining social and cultural ties with those countries. They maintained cultural associations and events and minority media, as well as education in their mother tongue languages, sometimes with the support of kin-States. It is evident that Ukraine substantively upholds the right of minorities to establish their own associations and to maintain free and peaceful contacts including across frontiers; some interviewees stated that additional State support and funding were necessary. 31. Despite a strong feeling of minority identity, the majority of those consulted also emphasized their Ukrainian citizenship and their satisfaction with their treatment as minorities. Some interviewees suggested that stronger history and civic education components could be incorporated in school curricula in order to foster stronger Ukrainian national identity, mutual knowledge and understanding among different groups and to promote national unity. 32. The long history of settlement in the territory of Ukraine by different peoples has created overlapping and sometimes competitive identities. In the short time since independence, it has proved difficult to unite such diverse population groups and forge a sense of common Ukrainian identity. 17 Measures to promote national identity, culture and language, known as Ukrainianization, are legitimate and necessary to promote unity and economic, geographic and social mobility in a country with such diverse population groups. However, issues of cultural autonomy and the ability for minorities to influence decisions that affect them and the regions where they live were particularly prominent in consultations held and the Special Rapporteur encourages continued dialogue with minorities on those important matters. 33. Russian minority representatives acknowledged that, prior to the unrest, they did not face a repressive environment, widespread discrimination, exclusion, or violence based on their identity. They commonly reflected their greatest concerns as being in the fields of 17 10 Minority Rights Group International, “Ukraine overview”, available from www.minorityrights.org/5053/ukraine/ukraine-overview.html.