You're reading: Czech minister: Tymoshenko’s husband likely to get political asylum in Czech Republic

Oleksandr Tymoshenko, the husband of former Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko, is likely to get a political asylum in the Czech Republic, Czech Foreign Minister Karel Schwarzenberg has said.

The minister said on Czech Radio that he had discussed this issue with Interior Minister Jan Kubice, whose department considers requests for political asylum.

From this conversation it became clear that the Interior Ministry wants to give a political asylum to Tymoshenko’s husband, Schwarzenberg said.

The Czech Interior Ministry has refrained from commenting on Oleksandr Tymoshenko’s request so far.

The Czech newspaper Pravo reported that Oleksandr Tymoshenko, who is currently in the Czech Republic, had asked for political asylum in that country.

The press service of the Yulia Tymoshenko-led Batkivschyna Party has confirmed this report and said that this move was taken in response to attempts to pressurize the ex-premier through the persecution of her family.