Ukraine’s Yanukovych ‘wanted for mass murder’

Ukraine’s acting Interior Minister says police has issued an arrest warrant for ousted President Viktor Yanukovych, accusing him of the “mass murder” of peaceful protesters.

Arsen Avakov said Monday on his Facebook page that a number of other officials have also been put on a wanted list.

“An official case for the mass murder of peaceful citizens has been opened,” said Avakov adding, “Yanukovych and other people responsible for this have been declared wanted.”

According to the Ukrainian Health Ministry, at least 88 people, mostly protesters and also a number of police officers, were killed and scores of others injured in clashes between police and anti-government protesters last week.

On February 23, the Ukrainian parliament ousted Yanukovych and named Oleksandr Turchynov, the legislature’s newly-elected speaker, as interim president.

On the same day, jailed opposition leader Yulia Tymoshenko was released and held a speech in which she promised her supporters that the country would soon join the European Union (EU).

The violent protests in Ukraine began last November, when Yanukovych refrained from signing an Association Agreement with the EU, in favor of closer ties with Russia.