You're reading: Ukrainian Congress Committee of America calls for immediate release of Tymoshenko

Editor’s Note: The following statement was issued on August 5 2011 by the Ukrainian Congress Committee of America.

“The Ukrainian Congress Committee of America, the umbrella organization of the over one million Americans of Ukrainian descent, is deeply concerned about the condition of Ukraine’s former Prime Minister, Yulia Tymoshenko.

As reported in the press, Kyiv’s Pechersky District court ordered her arrest and detention today.

The UCCA calls upon Ukrainian authorities to immediately release her from prison.

Furthermore, as the representative body of Ukrainian Americans, the UCCA urges the United States government to publicly condemn her political imprisonment and utilize all diplomatic efforts to ensure the safety of her life and her release.

The Yanukovych regime’s selective use of law enforcement, which has resulted in probes of political opposition leaders and the arrest of Yulia Tymoshenko and others, is one in a series of anti-democratic policies of political persecution.

The world’s democracies cannot remain silent while basic human rights are being violated and the rule of law is nothing more than a command system."