UKRAINE: Supporters of jailed former Ukrainian Prime Minister and opposition leader Yulia Tymoshenko say they are not optimistic she will get a fair trial

Record ID: 346620

  • Title: UKRAINE: Supporters of jailed former Ukrainian Prime Minister and opposition leader Yulia Tymoshenko say they are not optimistic she will get a fair trial
  • Date: 27th June 2012
  • Summary: KIEV, UKRAINE (JUNE 26, 2012) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF CAMP SET UP BY TYMOSHENKO SUPPORTERS ADJACENT TO EURO 2012 FAN ZONE TOP OF TENT WITH SYMBOL OF FORMER PRIME MINISTER YULIA TYMOSHENKO'S POLITICAL PARTY PEOPLE IN TENT (SOUNDBITE) (Ukrainian) SUPPORTER OF FORMER UKRAINIAN PRIME MINISTER YULIA TYMOSHENKO VALENTIN YUSHENKO, SAYING: "What decision? It should be a (good) p
  • Embargoed: 12th July 2012 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Ukraine
  • Country: Ukraine
  • Topics: Crime,Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVAGZM37NTH3TVUQ022TMJL2YF4
  • Story Text: Supporters of jailed former Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko said on Tuesday (June 25) they were not convinced a judge would overturn her 2011 conviction for abuse of office.
    Tymoshenko is serving a seven-year sentence for the conviction that stemmed from a gas deal she signed in 2009 with Russia while premier. On Tuesday a high court in Kiev is set to hear her appeal against conviction and jail sentence.
    The conviction and Tymoshenko's claims that she has been mistreated in prison have strained relations between Ukraine and the West and led to boycotts of the Euro 2012 soccer tournament the ex-Soviet country is hosting with Poland.
    She has said her conviction was politically-motivated by her arch rival, President Viktor Yanukovich, a claim he denies.
    At the camp set up by her supporters just outside of the Euro 2012 fan zone in Kiev, Valentin Yushenko said he hoped for a reversal at Ukraine's High Specialised Court.
    "It should be a (good) political decision. Maybe it will finally come into the authorities' mind, and they will take a normal decision to release Yulia Volodymyrovna Tymoshenko," Yushenko said.
    Supporter Vasil Kharytonenko said he was doubtful.
    "I think that the decision of the court won't be in favour of Yulia Tymoshenko, because the case is biased. I would like all of the biggest politicians to unite and encourage people to hold a revolution, because it's impossible to live in this country," Kharytonenko said.
    The High Specialised Court is the last place Tymoshenko's case can be heard in Ukraine before she can appeal to the European Court of Human Rights.
    Her supporter Vera Kurpita said she would like to see a decision based on the judge's morality, not political concerns.
    "I hope that the decision will be made with conscience--that it won't be under instruction. That the court won't take into consideration somebody's instructions. And the judge should make the decision using his conscience and the law. Because sometime ago, we called (a judge's decision) a just decision, and now we feel that everybody has his own sense of justice," Kurpita said.
    Tymoshenko, 51, led the 2004 Orange Revolution protests which derailed Yanukovich's first bid for the presidency, but narrowly lost the 2010 presidential election to him. She and a number of her opposition allies have since faced corruption-related charges.
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