You're reading: Deliberations begin in Tymoshenko trial in Ukraine

A judge has begun deliberations in the abuse-of-office trial of former Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko.

Tymoshenko is charged with exceeding her authority in the signing of a natural gas import contract with Russia in 2009.

Prosecutors have asked for a seven-year prison sentence. The trial has been condemned by the U.S. and the European Union as politically motivated.

Judge Rodion Kireyev on Friday adjourned the trial until Oct. 11 to deliver a verdict in the case.

Tymoshenko refused to make her final speech after Kireyev rejected her request to give her more time to prepare the speech.

She insisted on her innocence and said the trial amounted to "lynching" by her archenemy, President Viktor Yanukovych.