KIEV, July 13. /TASS/. The Opposition Bloc faction in the Ukrainian parliament has suggested the parliament set up a temporary investigation commission to probe into the developments in the Black Sea port city of Odessa on May 2, 2014, which claimed 48 lives, Yuri Boiko, the faction’s leader, said on Monday.
"Whereas there is some progress in the investigation of the Maidan [Kiev’s central Independence Square — TASS] developments, there is absolute silence on what concerns the Odessa tragedy. That is why we propose to set up a temporary investigation commission like the one on the Maidan developments," he said.
The tragedy at the Odessa House of Trade Unions occurred on May 2, 2014. A sign-up campaign in support of a referendum turned into clashes between nationalist activists of the Right Sector and the Maidan self-defense groups on the one side and federalization supporters on the other side. The clashes resulted in the local House of Trade Unions being set on fire. More than 200 people were injured in the tragedy while 48 lost their lives.
Twenty-two people were charged with instigating the clashes. Eleven are in custody, eleven others are on the wanted list. Investigators however found no evidence of deliberate arson. Odessa’s district court on April 27 referred the indictment back to the prosecutor general’s office for further investigation, saying it lacked details and actual proof of the suspects’ guilt.