So Yanukovych has succumbed to two years of ferocious arm-twisting by European and global politicians. Today he pardoned Yuriy Lutsenko.
The case against the former Minister of the Interior was preposterous, as is his pardon.
Lutsenko has never requested a pardon - he therefore has nothing to thank Yanukovych for.
On the contrary - the emotion to 'get even' will be deep - and a gangster like Yanukovych knows this well,
Although imprisoned for well over two years, Lutsenko has been at the forefront of Ukrainian politics. Many European and Ukrainian leaders have visited him in court and in prison, and his name has never left the headlines. His writings are widely broadcast and read, and his opinion has been sought by today's opposition leaders.
The stigma of using selective justice to destroy his enemies will mark Yanukovych for the rest of his life.
Lutsenko with the help of his lawyers will certainly continue to try to clear his name by every means possible, both inside and outside the country, until he is fully rehabilitated. There is a high probability his aim will ultimately be achieved.
p.s. Lutsenko's release did not 'come out of the blue'. So why his humiliation last week?
A final kick up the a** as he walks out of the prison gates?
Sadists to the end....
5 comments:
This is obviously a sign of desperation from Yanukovych. After the latest kafkaesque proceedings in the Higher Specialized Appeal Court for Civil and Criminal Cases, an unusually swift and strong response was issued by Catherine Ashton and Stefan Füle, signalling that the Association agreement will be cancelled unless immidiate actions are taken by Ukrainian authorities, dealing with the use of "selective justice" against political opponents. This probably triggered this latest turn of events. Finally some persons close to Yanukovych managed to force him to act against his instincts, and do something rational. However, it has also demonstrated that Yanukovych indirectly admits that he could just as well release Tymoshenko by a similar procedure, something he has repeatedly denied. That means, pressure from the EU to solve the Tymoshenko case will just increase from now on. Those close to Yanukovych, who have long realised the enormous damage caused by Yanukovych's petty vendettas, will they manage to once again force Yanukovych to act against his instincts?
Thank you for your comment.
The big-selling 'Segondya' states the obvious truth: All questions will not be removed from Ukraine without solution to Tymoshenko problem[s]' http://www.segodnya.ua/ukraine/Bez-resheniya-problemy-Timoshenko-vse-voprosy-s-Ukrainy-snyaty-ne-budut-politolog.html
There are about 5 or six weeks for Yanukovych to come up with something...
yanusvoloch ЯнуСВОЛОЧ and his sovok mafia don't do anything without some sort of calculation based on "what's in it for them."
No doubt you are aware of the theory propounded by Volodymyr (Walter) Fesenko and other political analysts that Lutsenko was released in order to throw a monkey wrench into the opposition.
The idea is that there are 3 opposition leaders right now - Klitchko, Yatseniuk and Tyahnybok - and that Lutsenko would want to come in and sort of "upset the balance" by "trying to take over the opposition."
Apparently, there were 6 people released - Lustenko, former environmental minister Filipchuk, and 4 others (not clear who the 4 were).
Perhaps the thousands of people in the street also had something to do with the release.
The PoR is now hugely intensifying its campaign against the opposition, via Olena The Clucking Hen Bondarenko talking about "fascists" and "nazis," and the PoR trying to brand the 3 opposition leaders as the "3 princes."
Lutsenko should never have been prosecuted, and people know it.
It boils down to the PoR sovok mafia trying to preserve a sovok mafia state, agsinst those who want a different system - democracy.
And you're right - Tymoshenko remains a looming problem for yanusvoloch and his banda.
If there was any hope among the PoR leadership that the Lutsenko release would be sufficient to save the Association agreement, yet another swift and clear response from Catherine Ashton and Stefan Füle shatters those futile hopes. All cases of selective justice targeting political opponents must be solved, and it must be made sure it will not occur again. The few rational persons who may pressure Yanukovych will have a
tough task. All signs indicate that Yanukovych is determined to continue the trials against Tymoshenko, and possibly even
start new ones; the order for a life time sentence of Tymoshenko is already delivered to the courts. It is a decisive
moment for the Ukrainian authorities: are there anyones prepared to battle Yanukovych and defend the interests of the
nation and the people? Obviously the cowardly ambassador of Ukraine to the European Union, Kostiantyn Yelisieiev, is not one of them, as he already predicts a failure and has thus started the blame game: a failure will be the fault not of Ukraine, but of EU! "We have already started to deliver. Unfortunately, the E.U. remains hesitant" he writes in a pathetic article in the New
York Times. What should be the priorities for the Ukrainian authorities: to satisfy the petty personal vendettas and the bizarre obsession for obscene luxury demonstrated by "the president"? Or to see to the long-term
interests of the nation?
It is shocking and tragic that this even has to be a question.
Bernard, as usual, you hit the nail on the head - spot on.
Last night's Freedom of Speech Свобода Слова program on ICTV was pretty interesting.
It is very clear that PoR and yanusvoloch's propaganda machine will hail and praise the "oh-so-humanitarian and benevolent" move on the part of yanusvoloch and his banda in freeing Lutsenko and Filipchuk - still not clear who the other 4 were.
They have already invented an excuse for not releasing Tymoshenko - "the 'president' cannot exercise his pardon power until after someone is convicted."
Tells you a lot about how psychotic these ass holes are.
Anyway - one theory in the form of a question was that the pardon of Lutsenko was:
1) in reaction to some heavy demands by Putler made recently with respect to Ukraine joining the so-called Customs Union; also, Putler has threatened to build yet another pipeline bypassing Ukraine
2) a move to insure that the EU acts favorably in easing the visa system for Ukraine, in an upcoming meeting on April 18 or so.
So overall the calculations appear to be as follows:
1) Lutsenko is supposed to be a de-stabilizing force among the opposition, because now he can act freely
2) yanusvoloch's propaganda machine can praise him to the high heavens for his "wonderfulness"
3) this is a punch in the face of Putler, because it signals a move away from the Customs Union towards the EU, in reaction to Putler's recent threats
4) it's a palliative move, a show for the EU, in return for which Ukraine hopes to get at least some easing of the current visa regulations via-a-vis the EU and Ukraine
The Tymoshenko problem is still the very large elephant in the room, and it won't go away until she is released.
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