Kiev Committed Human Rights Violations in Odessa Massacre, Court Rules

By Staff, Agencies

The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) has ruled that the Ukrainian government is guilty of human rights violations related to the May 2, 2014, Odessa massacre, in which dozens of Russian-speaking demonstrators were forced into the city’s Trade Unions House and burned alive by ultranationalist mobs, The Gray Zone reported.

The court ruled that Ukraine violated Article 2 of the European Convention on Human Rights, citing the authorities' failure to prevent violence in Odessa.

The judges criticized the Ukrainian government for failing to stop violence, ensure timely rescues, and conduct an effective investigation into the fire outbreak.

The blaze, which killed 42 people, marked a bloody conclusion to the so-called "Maidan revolution", which saw Ukraine’s democratically elected president ousted in a Western-backed coup in 2014.

The court's verdict, issued by a panel of seven judges, discredits claims of a "tragic accident" and blaming anti-Maidan protesters for the fire.

The ECHR found that fire engine deployment to the site was "deliberately delayed for 40 minutes," despite the local fire station being only a kilometer away.

The court also determined that nothing indicated Ukrainian authorities “had done everything that could reasonably be expected of them to avert” the violence.

The report criticized Kiev officials for not preventing anticipated clashes between pro- and anti-Maidan activists, stating their negligence extended beyond judgment or carelessness.

The case was brought forward by 25 individuals who lost family members in the attack and three survivors who suffered injuries.

While the court ruled that Ukraine had violated their human rights, it only ordered the government to pay 15,000 euros to each plaintiff in compensation.