Brussels, 07/10/2013 (Agence Europe) - On 4 October, the European Parliament's mission -former European Parliament president Pat Cox and former Polish president Alexander Kwasniewski - presented Ukraine's President Viktor Yanukovych with a request to pardon former Ukrainian prime minister Yulia Tymoshenko, according to Tymoshenko's lawyer, Serhiy Vlassenko. “I met with the European Parliament's envoys Pat Cox and Aleksander Kwaskniewski. I have their permission to inform you that during today's meeting [4 October] with Viktor Yanukovych, in order to legalise Yulia Tymoshenko's travel abroad, Cox and Kwaskniewski gave him a signed petition requesting a pardon”, he said. Cox and Kwasknieswki did not comment, however.
Germany has proposed welcoming Tymoshenko on several occasions so that she can be treated for intervertebral disc hernias. However, the law does not provide for the possibility of transferring imprisoned persons. On 30 August, Yanukovych said that “no one in Ukraine currently has such powers [of transferring Tymoshenko to Germany], not even the president, and the Ukrainian law does not provide for this possibility for detained persons in Ukraine” (see EUROPE 10912). In Vlassenko's view, “a pardon would remove this obstacle and would allow Ms Tymoshenko to go abroad”.
Europe supports proposal. Without giving his opinion on Vlassenko's proposal, Peter Stano, the spokesperson for Commissioner for Enlargement and European Neighbourhood Policy Stefan Füle, told EUROPE that the EU appreciates and continues to support “the efforts of the Cox-Kwasniewski mission that is addressing the issue of politically motivated justice”. “We look forward to their final report to the European Parliament on 15 October”, he continued.
Lithuania's Foreign Affairs Minister Linas Linkevicius, whose country currently holds the rotating presidency of the EU Council of Ministers, gave his support to the mission's call “to release Tymoshenko for medical treatment”. It is the “time for compromises and solutions”, he said on Twitter.
Jacek Saryusz-Wolski MEP (EPP, Poland) expressed support on behalf of his group for the Cox-Kwaskniewski mission's request for pardon. “In the framework of this request, the EPP respectfully acknowledges Ms Tymoshenko's agreement to go to Germany for medical treatment, which she urgently needs. It is now up to President Yanukovych to resolve the outstanding issue of selective justice”, he said. He urged Yanukovych “to rise to the historical moment and to demonstrate wisdom and statesmanship for his country”, and thus to accept the mission's request.
One of the conditions for signing the association agreement at the Eastern Partnership summit in Vilnius in November is resolving the issue of selective justice.
Tymoshenko ready to leave for Germany. Tymoshenko has spoken of her desire to be treated in Germany. “I publicly accept this proposal not because I do not trust the Ukrainian doctors. It's not them that I don't trust but the regime”, she stated on 4 October, quoted by Ukrainian media. “My possible departure for Germany is not emigration. I will never ask for political asylum (…) I will participate in the most active way possible for the freedom of Ukraine from the dictatorship”, she added (our translation).
Yanukovych has still not expressed his opinion on the request for pardon, or confirmed it. (CG/transl.fl)