Tymoshenko Murder Case Is Disaster for Ukraine, EU Official Says

The murder charge against jailed former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko is a "political disaster" for Ukraine, a European Union official said.

A ruling by the European Court of Human Rights on Tymoshenko's conviction for abuse of office may come next month, according to Aleksander Kwasniewski, an ex-Polish president who monitors her situation on behalf of the European Parliament. Ukraine should maintain her medical treatment for back pain and free her former colleague Yuriy Lutsenko from prison, he said.

"The new case against Tymoshenko is a political disaster," Kwasniewski told a conference organized by investment bank Dragon Capital today in the capital, Kiev. "Lutsenko's case isn't serious. Each day he's in prison is bad for Ukraine's image."

The EU postponed an association and free-trade agreement with Ukraine indefinitely after Tymoshenko was jailed in 2011 in a case the bloc deems politically motivated. It's given the country three months to carry out changes to its justice and electoral systems to seal the pact, which must be ratified by the European Parliament. Prosecutors accused Tymoshenko last month of organizing the 1996 murder of lawmaker Evhen Shcherban.

Tymoshenko, who's serving seven years in prison for signing a 2009 energy contract with Russia that officials say damaged Ukraine's interests, appealed to the Strasbourg-based rights court after exhausting domestic avenues for appeal. While she's currently hospitalized, which is delaying the start of her murder trial, a Health Ministry commission said last week that she should be discharged. She denies involvement in the murder.

Lutsenko, an interior minister in Tymoshenko's government, should be released by mid-April to show Ukraine's commitment to closer European integration, according to Kwasniewski.

President Viktor Yanukovych, who attended the EU-Ukraine summit in Brussels on Feb. 25, said he'll respect the European Court of Human Rights' decision on Tymoshenko, Kwasniewski said, urging the authorities not to "complicate her situation."

To contact the reporter on this story: Daryna Krasnolutska in Kiev at dkrasnolutsk@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Balazs Penz at bpenz@bloomberg.net

Read More @ Source

Oblivion LIVE! - Main Quest Part 1 - Episode 76

GET EVERY EPISODE OF OBLIVION LIVE HERE: www.youtube.com follow my twitter- www.twitter.com

Video Rating: 4 / 5



Criminal Stories Here

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Homicide victim found at vacant Everett house

Image
EVERETT -- Police on Wednesday were canvassing the View Ridge-Madison neighborhood in Everett after a man was found dead there the night before. A neighbor spotted the man on the ground outside a vacant house at 22 Madison St. He called 911 about 6:20 p.m. The man had obvious signs of trauma to his torso, police said. He looked to be in his late 20s or early 30s. The Everett Major Crimes Unit is investigating the death as a homicide, Lt. Robert Goetz said. Detectives declined to say more about how they believe the man may have died. There are no identified suspects or motives. Detectives received a search warrant around 11:45 p.m. Tuesday and collected evidence at the scene. They returned Wednesday afternoon to look for clues in the daylight, Goetz said. The victim's identity had not been determined as of late Wednesday afternoon. The body was turned over to the Snohomish County Medical Examiner's Office. Anyone with information is asked to call 425-257-8450. Rikki King: 425-
Keep reading

Manslaughter charges possible in boy's death

Image
Published: Thursday, August 23, 2012, 5:55 p.m. MONROE -- Detectives believe a 7-year-old Monroe boy's parents should face second-degree manslaughter charges in connection with his January overdose death. Monroe police this week wrapped up their probe into the boy's Jan. 30 death and forwarded the case to prosecutors to decide if his parents should face criminal charges. Snohomish County deputy prosecutor Lisa Paul likely will begin reviewing the case in the coming days. She doesn't expect to make a charging decision in the near future, however. "It's quite an extensive investigation, and I want to review it thoroughly before I make any decision," she said. The boy, identified as "A.J." in court papers, ingested a lethal amount of salicylates, a chemical common in aspirin and other over-the-counter drugs. The medical examiner declined to conduct an autopsy on the boy, making it difficult to determine how the drug ended up in the boy's system. A
Keep reading