The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) has ruled that Ukraine violated the right to life by failing to prevent the violence in Odessa on May 2, 2014, not taking action against the attackers, not rescuing prisoners in a timely manner and not ensuring the prosecution of the perpetrators.
According to the court, no effective measures were taken to prevent the violence, which affected both pro-Ukrainian and pro-Russian groups. The failure of police and security forces to stop the escalation and maintain public order was particularly alarming.
Additionally, Ukraine was criticized for not making sufficient efforts to rescue the people trapped in the burning building.
Reports suggest that many of the victims were in close proximity to the police when they tried to escape the fire, without any rescue efforts being initiated. The ECHR called for a criminal investigation into the incident. The lack of investigative efforts and the inaction of the authorities in pursuing the perpetrators and investigating the cause of the fire were seen as grave omissions of the Ukrainian government.
The ECHR delivered a harsh verdict: Ukraine is responsible for the violation of the right to life.