Roman Olearchyk in Kyiv and Jan Cienski reporting from Warsaw write: International and domestic pressure mounted on Ukrainian authorities this weekend to release Yulia Tymoshenko, the former prime minister and leading political opposition figure who was arrested on Aug. 5 on contempt of court charges.
Adding to earlier statements by the European Union and individual European countries condemning Tymoshenko’s arrest, the U.S. on Aug. 6 put additional pressure on Viktor Yanukovych, the Ukrainian president who continues to deny using politically motivated probes and trials to sideline political opponents.
“Yesterday’s incarceration of former Prime Minister Tymoshenko has raised concerns internationally about the application of the rule of law in Ukraine and further contributes to the appearance of politically motivated prosecutions,” reads a U.S. statement.
“The U.S. government shares those concerns and urges that [Ms] Tymoshenko’s incarceration be reviewed and consideration be given to her immediate release.”
Similar statements were issued this weekend by Canada, the UK and other European nations.
