UKRAINE/ ECtHR: State negligence in clashes between Anti- and Pro-Maidan supporters in Odesa in May 2014, the ECtHR rules
“I was in Odesa to investigate the issue, two weeks after the tragedy which claimed over 40 lives” (Willy Fautré, director of Human Rights Without Frontiers). See our report on our website.
by Willy Fautré, director of Human Rights Without Frontiers
ECHR (13.03.2025) – Today’s Chamber judgment in the case of Vyacheslavova and Others v. Ukraine (application no. 39553/16 and 6 others) concerned violent clashes between Maidan supporters and opponents and the fire in the Trade Union Building in Odesa on 2 May 2014, which resulted in heavy casualties.
The seven applications were lodged by a total of 28 individuals. Twenty-five of the applicants lost their next of kin – either in the clashes or as a result of the fire – and three of the applicants survived the fire with various injuries.
Among the applicants’ relatives who lost their lives on that day, were Maidan supporters and opponents and, possibly, simple passers-by. Respecting the applicants’ choice, who often preferred not to mention their or their relatives’ political views, the Court only indicated the political views of the individuals concerned where that was essential for establishing and understanding the events or where, in any event, the applicants themselves had made that information public.
In the case, the European Court of Human Rights Court held, unanimously, that there had been: violations of Article 2 (right to life/investigation) of the European Convention on Human Rights, on account of the relevant authorities’ failure to do everything that could reasonably be expected of them to prevent the violence in Odesa on 2 May 2014, to stop that violence after its outbreak, to ensure timely rescue measures for people trapped in the fire, and to institute and conduct an effective investigation into the events; and a violation of Article 8 (right to respect for private and family life) in respect of one applicant (application no. 39553/16) concerning the delay in handing over her father’s body for burial.
Full European Court:
State negligence in clashes between Maidan supporters and opponents in Odesa in May 2014: Vyacheslavova and Others v. Ukraine
See the famous Oliver Stone’s documentary “Ukraine on Fire” mainly about the modern history of Ukraine. The section on the 2 May events starts at 1h16.
https://youtu.be/IwZApPCFXIc?si=nA-tIM1pCP9OowcB
Photos below : Kulikovo Pole (Odesa), the place where the anti-Maidan activists had put up their tents to protest (Credits : Willy Fautré/ HRWF, May 2014)
