You're reading: Protests for Tymoshenko mark Ukraine Independence Day

Opposition activists are rallying in the capital to protest the arrest of the former prime minister while marking the Ukraine's 20th anniversary of independence from the Soviet Union.

Over 5,000 protesters gathered near a monument to a national poet in downtown Kiev Wednesday.

Yulia Tymoshenko was arrested earlier this month on charges of contempt of court as part of her abuse-of-office trial.

Tymoshenko dismisses the trial as President Viktor Yanukovych’s attempt to bar her from upcoming elections.

United States and European Union countries have condemned the arrest and the prosecution of Tymoshenko as politically motivated.

Yanukovych insists the criminal cases against Tymoshenko and a number of her senior allies are part of a government effort to fight corruption.