EU Official Warns Ukraine About Politically Motivated Arrests

By Christina Berger
Impunity Watch Reporter, Europe

KIEV, Ukraine – A senior European Union official, Stephen Fuele, warned Ukraine on Tuesday not to use criminal law as a tool of political oppression.  This warning appears to be directly related to the pending criminal charges against former prime minister, Yulia Tymoshenko, and other opposition leaders.

“In the 21st century, democratic authority cannot be sustained without an independent judiciary and media.  It is a question of moral leadership,” Fuele, EU enlargement commissioner, said after meeting with various Ukrainian government officials. “I would therefore like to recall the need to ensure that criminal law is not used for political ends and that the principles of a fair, impartial, and independent legal process are fully respected.”

The EU and Ukraine are negotiating an association agreement, including a free-trade zone.  Fuele was in the Ukraine on a fact-finding visit, his fourth in the last ten months, and had lunch with Tymoshenko, one of the leaders of Ukraine’s opposition.

Tymoshenko, who lost an election last year to President Viktor Yanukovich, has been charged with abuse of power or office that entailed serious consequences. She is accused of misusing 380 million euros allocated to Ukraine under the Kyoto Protocol while she was in office from 2004-2009.

Tymoshenko has denied the charges against her.  She claims that they are part of a political witch-hunt aimed at opposition leaders, including former Ukrainian Interior Minister Yuriy Lutsenko, who was arrested Dec. 26, 2010, and former First Deputy Justice Minister Yevhen Korniychuk, who was detained on Dec. 22, 2010 and is still in jail today.

Tymoshenko stated “Look, two leaders of opposition parties in parliament were arrested ahead of the New Year.  Is it a coincidence?  Lutsenko and Korniychuk [were arrested], and I, representing the third political party, am under house arrest.  It’s not a coincidence – it’s fear and confusion by the authorities.”

U.S. officials have also recently warned the current Ukrainian government against politically motivated prosecutions.  “We have raised with the Ukrainian government our concern that while corruption should be pursued, prosecution should not be selective or politically motivated,” the US embassy in Kiev said in a statement.  “In that context, we also raised our concern that when, with few exceptions, the only senior officials being targeted are connected with the previous government, it gives the appearance of selective prosecution of political opponents.”


For more information, please see:

NEWSWEEK – ‘I’m Not Going to Leave My Country’ – 17 Jan. 2011

INTERFAX – Tymoshenko summoned to PGO at 1200 on Monday – 15 Jan. 2011

GLOBAL POST – Yulia Tymoshenko, under fire and fired up – 15 Jan. 2011

INTERFAX – Court leaves former first deputy justice minister Korniychuk in custody – 13 Jan. 2011

NEW YORK TIMES – Ukraine: Government Warned About Political Arrests – 11 Jan. 2011

DEUTSCHE PRESS-AGENTUR – EU official warns Ukraine on political repression, media crackdown – 11 Jan. 2011

UKRAINIAN NEWS – EU Hopes Ukraine Not To Apply Criminal Law For Political Purposes – 11 Jan. 2011

AFP – US alarmed by detention of Ukraine ex-officials: embassy – 30 Dec. 2010

BLOOMBERG – U.S. Concerned Over Ukraine’s Prosecution of Former Officials – 30 Dec. 2010

RFE/RL – Former Ukraine Interior Minister Rejects Charges Against Him – 27 Dec. 2010

Author: Impunity Watch Archive