This was the order of speakers at today's session of the 20th European People's Party Congress in Marseilles :-
-EPP President/Président du PPE Wilfried Martens
-Prime Minister of France/Premier ministre de la France François Fillon
-Ms./Madame Eugenia Carr-Tymoshenko....
Eugenia Carr-Tymoshenko received a standing ovation for her speech which included a call for sanctions to be applied to members of the Yanukovych regime...[Congress proceedings were streamed live... ]
According to today's 'Deutsche Welle', German experts doubt that the Association Agreement will be signed at the Ukraine-EU December summit.
"[Human] Rights violations in the Tymoshenko trial haves led to a number of EU countries to now being opposed to signing of the Association Agreement with Ukraine. Experts spoke of this at a [recent] conference in Berlin."
In response, a Kyiv court ruled fresh court proceedings could take place directly in the "investigative isolator" cell where Tymoshenko is imprisoned. She is currently bedridden - suffering from a ruptured disc in her spine - too ill to be transported to a courthouse.
[Deputy prosecutor general Renat Kuzmin claims the conditions in her cell are better than in a hotel room. More from f.n. on this horrible man and his boss Pshonka here]
Ukrainian human rights ombudsman Nina Karpachova called the situation "unacceptable" and contrary to European norms and conventions..
What are these sadists trying to prove? They are rational politicians so it is reasonable to assume this premeditated, dare I say medieval behaviour is a signal by the authorities.
"What are these sadists trying to prove? They are rational politicians so it is reasonable to assume this premeditated, dare I say medieval behavior is a signal by the authorities."
ReplyDeleteObviously they are not rational statesmen. Tymoshyenko's persecution is more to do with setting an example then it is with justice or good governance.
The EU should make is mandatory at any new aspirant member state must be governed by a parliamentary system in line with other European states. The Venice Commission should be required to draft a model constitution and necessary laws governing public elections and judicial conduct which all member states should adopt prior to any consideration of new membership.
ReplyDeleteThe Parliamentary Assemble of the Council of Europe and the Venice Commission have both recommend on numerous occasions that Ukraine implement constitutional reform and adopt a fill democratic parliamentary system following in the footsteps of other former soviet states which are now successful members of the EU, such as Estonia and Latvia.
As long as Ukraine remains beholden to presidential rule it will never be a free independent democratic state.
Tymoshenko is being held hostage on the understanding that if the EU sign an agreement withe Ukraine then she will be granted a presidential pardon but the conviction will remain. Her fate is in the hands of the EU. They sign she goes free.
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