permitted, both as a matter of international law and as a way for people to express their opinion. Policing should facilitate such assemblies, ensuring the protection of participants, irrespective of their political views. vi. In eastern Ukraine, freedom of expression is under particular attack through the harassment of, and threats to, journalists and media outlets. The increasing prevalence of hate speech is further fuelling tensions. Both these factors are deepening divisions between communities and exacerbating the crisis. All parties must take immediate steps to avoid incitement and radicalisation. vii. Campaigning for the 25 May Presidential elections is well underway. Some candidates report arbitrary restrictions, conflicts and incidents, which impacts and curtails their ability to campaign with voters. Transparent, fair and democratic Presidential elections on 25 May are an important factor in contributing towards the de-escalation of tensions and restoration of law and order. II. METHODOLOGY 6. The report on the human rights situation in Ukraine was prepared by the HRMMU and covers the period from 2 April to 6 May 2014. 7. This report is prepared pursuant to the objectives of the HRMMU as set out in the concept note (see annex), and in line with UN General Assembly Resolution 68/262, entitled “Territorial integrity of Ukraine”, as adopted on 27 March 2014. 8. During the reporting period, the HRMMU has continued to operate from a main office in Kyiv, with sub-offices in Donetsk, Kharkiv, Lviv and Odesa (which also covers Crimea) with the same staff capacity (34). 9. The HRMMU coordinates and cooperates with various partners in Ukraine, in particular the UN Country Team (UNCT) and the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission (SMM) to Ukraine. 10. The HRMMU monitors reports of human rights violations by conducting on-site visits (where access and security allow), carrying out interviews, gathering and analysing all relevant information. The HRMMU exercises due diligence to corroborate and cross-check information from as wide a range of sources as possible, including accounts of victims and witnesses of human rights violations, state actors, the regional authorities, local communities, representatives of groups with diverse political views, the Ombudsman Institution, civil society organisations, human rights defenders, regional organisations, UN agencies and the diplomatic community. The HRMMU also collects information through secondary sources, such as media reports and information gathered by third parties. Wherever possible, the HRMMU ensure that its analysis is based on the primary accounts of victims and/or witnesses of the incident and on-site visits. On some occasions, primarily due to security-related constraints affecting access, this is not possible. In such instances, the HRMMU relies on 33 | P a g e