The detention of Vlasenko for multiple days of questioning by investigators in the General Prosecutor’s Office smacks of political persecution for two big reasons – prosecutors have never shown much interest in stopping domestic abuse in Ukraine and the gap between time of incident and investigative action is too great.
Investigators are showing unusual interest in Vlasenko for one simple reason: He is the aggressive legal defender of imprisoned ex-Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko. That’s the reason for the successful campaign to strip him of his parliamentary seat – and the legal immunity that goes with it – in February. And that’s the reason why he is in the legal frying pan today.
The fact that his ex-wife, Okunska, is running for parliament as an independent in Kyiv’s district No. 223 also adds a dose of suspicion to her claims. Her race is one of the five by-elections taking place on Dec. 15 because of improprieties during the regular 2012 parliamentary election in those contests.
The ongoing selective prosecution and persecution of political enemies by the General Prosecutor’s Office must stop. From the day that Viktor Pshonka took his job and announced that he’s part of President Viktor Yanukovych’s team, we knew this would not be an impartial, even-handed prosecutor. Such people should not have lifetime appointments, as parliament is considering now, as part of judicial “reform.” Rather, they should be shown the exit.
