PACE President: Situation with Tymoshenko must have consequences

Jean-Claude Mignon, President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE)  told UNIAN in Strasbourg that the situation over the alleged beating in the prison colony of  former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko cannot be left without repercussions. Mignon said that the excuses given by Ukraine’s representatives did not convince anybody.

He added that a reaction from the Assembly’s Office could be expected in the near future over what had happened to Yulia Tymoshenko, and that the Council of Europe’s Human Rights Commissioner and Commission for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman Treatment should also do their work.

Mignon said that after the report of Ms Tymoshenko’s beating in the colony, he had held meetings with members of the Ukrainian Delegation to PACE and with Mykola Tochytsky, Ukraine’s Representative with the Council of Europe.

“The Ukrainian authorities and opposition are presenting diametrically opposite information”, he said.

“Ukraine’s Permanent Representative with the Council of Europe presented his explanation of the situation at a meeting of the PACE Office which convinced nobody”.