You're reading: Ukraine’s high court upholds Tymoshenko jail sentence (updated)

Ukraine's highest appeals court has turned down an appeal by Yulia Tymoshenko, Ukraine's former prime minister and opposition leader, upholding her 7-year jail sentence from last autumn on abuse-of-office charges.

Announced early on Aug. 29, the decision is expected to further sour relations with the U.S. and European Union. Both have condemned the jailing of Tymoshenko and other opposition politicians as politically motivated “selective” justice.


The West has urged Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych to allow Tymoshenko and other jailed opposition politicians to take part in the Oct. 28 parliamentary elections and to reverse a broader rollback on democracy.


But Yanukovych has so far remained defiant, insisting that Ukraine’s law enforcement authorities and courts are independent.