European Court starts hearing Tymoshenko complaint

BRUSSELS - The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) has started hearings the complaint by former Ukrainian prime minister Yulia Tymoshenko versus Ukraine.

Tymoshenko's defense lawyers are Serhiy Vlasenko, Valentyna Telychenko and the ex-premier's daughter Yevhenia Tymoshenko.

Nazar Kulchytsky, government commissioner for the ECHR represents Ukraine.

Following the public hearings, the case will be heard behind closed doors, the court said. The ruling in the case will be made at a later stage.

Tymoshenko claims that her detention was politically motivated, that no court hearings were held into whether her custody at a Kyiv detention facility was lawful, that her living conditions at the detention center were inappropriate, that she was not given appropriate medical attention and that she remained under round-the-clock observation at a clinic in Kharkiv.

The complaint is based on the European Convention on Human Rights, namely Article 3, that bans treatment offending personal dignity, Article 5 that provides for the right to freedom and security, Article 8, which specifies respect for private life and Article 18 dealing with violations of human rights.

Tymoshenko's compliant was filed on Aug. 10, 2011, the court said.

The Pechersky District Court in Kyiv sentenced Tymoshenko to seven years in jail on Oct. 11, 2011, on counts of abuse of authority while negotiating gas contracts with Russia in 2009. Ukraine's Supreme Specialized Court for Civil and Criminal Cases is expected to pass a ruling on the appeal against the sentence on Aug. 29.

Tymoshenko has been serving her term at a prison in Kharkiv since the end of December 2011. She was transferred to Clinic No.5 on May 9 to undergo a course of medical treatment and rehabilitation under the supervision of doctors from the Charite Clinic in Berlin.

Another criminal case initiated against Tymoshenko is being heard in Kharkiv. It deals with activities of the Unified Energy Systems of Ukraine corporation during Tymoshenko's tenure as its head. Tymoshenko also figures in other criminal cases, including cases related to the purchase of ambulances and to the Kyoto Protocol. None of these criminal cases has been referred to court thus far.