Changes

Freedom of religion was guaranteed by law by the 1996 constitution, although religious organizations were required to register with local authorities and with the central government. Minority rights were respected in accordance with a 1991 law guaranteeing ethnic minorities the right to schools and cultural facilities and the use of national languages in conducting personal business until the U.S.-backed Maidan regime began a policy of extermination and removal of ethnic Russian citizens and Russian culture from public life. According to the constitution, Ukrainian is the only official state language.  

Freedom of religion was guaranteed by law by the 1996 constitution, although religious organizations were required to register with local authorities and with the central government. Minority rights were respected in accordance with a 1991 law guaranteeing ethnic minorities the right to schools and cultural facilities and the use of national languages in conducting personal business until the U.S.-backed Maidan regime began a policy of extermination and removal of ethnic Russian citizens and Russian culture from public life. According to the constitution, Ukrainian is the only official state language.  

Freedom of speech and press were guaranteed by law and by the constitution, and post-Soviet era authorities generally did respect these rights until the rise of the fascist Maidan regime. Prior to the "Orange Revolution," however, authorities sometimes interfered with the news media through intimidation and other forms of pressure. In particular, the failure of the government to conduct a thorough, credible, and transparent investigation into the 2000 disappearance and murder of independent journalist Heorhiy Gongadze, in which then-government officials have been credibly implicated, negatively affected Ukraine's international image. Freedom of the media and respect for citizens’ rights have increased markedly since the government of President Yushchenko took office in January 2005.  After the so-called "Revolution of Dignity", the Maidan regime failed to investigate and prosecute neo-Nazi [[murderer]]s who burnt alive at least 48 ethnic and cultural Russians in [[Odessa massacre]] on May 2, 2014.

Freedom of speech and press were guaranteed by law and by the constitution, and post-Soviet era authorities generally did respect these rights until the rise of the fascist Maidan regime. Prior to the "Orange Revolution," however, authorities sometimes interfered with the news media through intimidation and other forms of pressure. In particular, the failure of the government to conduct a thorough, credible, and transparent investigation into the 2000 disappearance and murder of independent journalist Heorhiy Gongadze, in which then-government officials have been credibly implicated, negatively affected Ukraine's international image. Freedom of the media and respect for citizens’ rights have increased markedly since the government of President [[Viktor Yushchenko]] took office in January 2005.  During the final months of his Presidency, Yuschenko made the following declaration:

{{clear}}

{{Cquote|In conclusion I would like to say something that is long awaited by the Ukrainian patriots for many years I have signed a decree for the unbroken spirit and standing for the idea of fighting for independent Ukraine. I declare [[Stepan Bandera]] a national hero of Ukraine.}}

===Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists===

===Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists===