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November 22, 2013

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Ukraine rejects bills to free Tymoshenko

Source: AFP | November 22, 2013, Friday | Print Edition

The Ukrainian parliament yesterday voted against bills that would free jailed opposition leader Yulia Tymoshenko, dealing a potentially blow to its chances of signing a trade deal with the EU this month.

Watched by two special EU envoys, the parliament rejected all six bills that had been put forward on the treatment of convicts abroad after they failed to gain the support of President Viktor Yanukovych’s ruling party.

Opposition lawmakers, who supported the legislation, shouted “shame” as the bills were rejected one-by-one in the 450-seat parliament.

The six bills failed to earn the 226 votes necessary to pass, with fewer than 200 lawmakers supporting the legislation.

EU leaders have made clear that Ukraine will only be able to sign a broad political and trade agreement considered the first step to eventual membership at the November 28-29 summit in Vilnius if it allows some form of release to Tymoshenko who was jailed in 2011 on abuse of authority charges.

The signing of the Association Agreement would represent a break by Kiev from Russia, which has warned of severe repercussions on bilateral trade if the deal is signed.

After the failure to agree the crucial legislation after weeks of disagreements, opposition lawmakers reiterated their calls for Yanukovych to pardon his arch-foe.

Iryna Gerashchenko, a lawmaker from the opposition UDAR (Punch) party urged the creation of a working group to consider the pardoning of Tymoshenko, adding that the EU should slap sanctions against the Ukrainian lawmakers who failed to support the bills.

Tymoshenko ally and opposition leader Arseniy Yatsenyuk handed parliament speaker Volodymyr Rybak a draft of a presidential decree on Tymoshenko’s pardon. “Let him sign it,” he said, referring to the president.

Parliament has for the last weeks unsuccessfully tried to agree to a bill on allowing the treatment of convicts abroad, which would allow Tymoshenko to receive medical treatment in Germany.

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