Hanne Severinsen expresses concern over Tymoshenko trial and arrest

Former PACE [Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe] Co-Rapporteur on Ukraine, Hanne Severinsen has said that she is surprised and disturbed by what she saw in the Pechersky District Court on Friday during the latest court hearing in the trial of former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko.

Judge Kireyev had ordered National Deputy Andriy Shkil (Batkivshchyna-BYUT] removed from the courtroom. Members of the Gryphon court police, despite the presence of foreign observers, moved chairs and began forcibly ejecting Mr Shkil. Two other National Deputies Yury Odarchenko and Oleksandr Sochka attempted to prevent this and were also removed.

Interfax-Ukraine reports that Mr Shkil was ordered out after he tried to take a photograph of the former PACE Co-Rapporteur.

Hanne Severinsen also told journalists that she sees no grounds for holding the former Prime Minister in custody.

She said that she had been able to come to the court and see with her own eyes what was happening. The defence were trying to show that it was not necessary to keep Yulia Tymoshenko in detention, which she also considers to be the case.  She said she was waiting to see what the judge would decide, reiterating that she saw no grounds, yet saw too that “this judge finds them”.

Judge Kireyev refused to release Yulia Tymoshenko from custody for the 16th time.