You're reading: Prison management: Check discovers no proof of pressure on Tymoshenko’s cellmate

A check into a statement by former Ukrainian Premier Yulia Tymoshenko's defense lawyer, Serhiy Vlasenko, who said that pressure was placed on Yulia Abaplova, the ex-premier's former cellmate, did not find any evidence to confirm the trustworthiness of the claims.

“A check was carried out, and employees that were on duty during
Yulia Volodymyrivna’s stay in our colony, as well as convicts, were
questioned during it. There is no evidence that confirms the
trustworthiness of the statement. You should realize that we are
officials subordinated to higher agencies, and no infringements on human
rights, especially against Yulia Volodymyrivna, could occur,” Deputy
Head of Kachanivska Penal Colony Oksana Koshlach told journalists.

She also commented on alleged threat to the lives of Tymoshenko and Abaplova reported by Vlasenko.

“If the defenders knew about the fact, why did they publish this
statement only yesterday [the statement was dated March 25, 2012]? These
are somebody’s political games, and we don’t want to be involved in
them. The politicians that organized these provocations and games should
let us work as normal,” Koshlach said.

Earlier, a photocopy of a letter allegedly written by Abaplova was
posted on the Web site of Tymoshenko. The ex-premier’s defense lawyer
Serhiy Vlasenko, who published the letter at a press conference on
September 12, 2012, said that Abaplova wrote the letter on March 25,
2012 “to protect herself and Tymoshenko.”