EU position on the massacre in Odessa

7.11.2014

Question for written answer E-008919-14
to the Commission
Rule 130
Matteo Salvini (NI)

On 2 May, a massacre took place in Odessa in front of and inside the Trade Unions House, which, according to the official figures, left 48 people dead. However, according to unofficial estimates, the real number of victims could be as high as 150, apart from the hundreds of people who were wounded and narrowly survived the massacre. The dead are all ethnic Russians with Ukrainian nationality.

The official version issued by the Ukrainian authorities has been widely called into question. However, the authorities in Kiev and Odessa have not, as far as we know, carried out any detailed investigation, nor identified any of the perpetrators.

A number of clues suggest that it was not, as claimed, the fire in the building that killed those who had sought refuge there to avoid being massacred in the streets: instead they had been shot or killed in some other manner. There are videos apparently showing police officers firing on desperate people trying to escape through the windows, and all the available evidence indicates that the attackers intended to kill.

Given this unacceptable bloodshed, will the Commission say whether it intends to issue a strong condemnation of the incident and adopt foreign policies that will help prevent such tragic events recurring in future?