The leader of the Party of Regions faction in parliament, Oleksandr Yefremov, has said that the issue of former Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko's going abroad for medical treatment should be legally resolved.
“Following the last visit by the Cox-Kwasniewski mission Tymoshenko accepted an offer to undergo treatment abroad. It’s legally problematic to fulfill this as part of the current legal framework. We don’t have any laws that help send prisoners abroad for treatment. Therefore, even if we have to resolve this issue, respective legislation is needed,” he said at a press conference on Monday.
However, he expressed surprise that “opposition representatives are not currently talking about that.”
“Apparently, there is no respective interest in this area,” Yefremov said.
He noted that there was only a legal way out of this situation.
He said that if agreement is reached on this issue and a “completely clear legal document” is drafted, it could be considered.
“But now I don’t see anyone who wants to draw up such a document,” Yefremov said.
He added that it would be “utterly grotesque if I tell our specialists: ‘Well, let’s finally work out such a document and propose that our opposition adopt it.”
“I don’t know why they aren’t doing that on their own. Ask them, perhaps, they will give a more detailed answer,” Yefremov said.
However, he said he was skeptical about the initiative to sign a statement to President Viktor Yanukovych with a request to release former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko.
“I’m a person who is currently engaged in legal issues. The president should have respective grounds to propose that he pardon [Tymoshenko]. The head of our state should not just be given unacceptable conditions,” Yefremov said.
He said that “apart from the convicted person’s desire to get a pardon, there should also be a number of other factors, first and foremost, the person should serve at least half of a prison term, in accordance with the law.”
Batkivschyna faction leader Arseniy Yatseniuk said on Monday that the opposition had proposed that MPs from all factions send a petition to President Yanukovych to pardon Tymoshenko in order to support a respective statement made by the Cox-Kwasniewski mission. He also proposed that Yefremov the signing of such a petition be considered at a meeting of his faction.
