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Forensic experts confirm Tymoshenko has two bruises

11.05.2012   
Ms Tymoshenko alleges that she was beaten when taken by force to a Kharkiv hospital. A forensic expert on Thursday confirmed that she has two bruises on her body, but was unable as yet to explain their origin.

 On Thursday the Head of Forensic Medicine at the Kharkiv Medical Academy of Postgraduate Studies, Olekandr Hurov stated that the former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko has two bruises on her body, but was unable as yet to explain their origin.

Ms Tymoshenko alleges that she was beaten when taken by force to a Kharkiv hospital.

Dr Hurov said that the only document recording changes on Ms Tymoshenko’s body are a document confirming her visit signed by three medical employees, including the head of the Medical Unit of the Kachanivska colony. Since there are no other documents containing information of a medical nature, they have drawn conclusions regarding the foreign examination on the basis of that document.

Dr Hurov did stress that he cannot draw conclusions as to whether Yulia Tymoshenko received these injuries from outsiders, or whether they are self-inflicted.  As reported, the Kharkiv Prosecutor’s Office said last week that it did not exclude the possibility that they were self-inflicted.

The Head of the Kharkiv Regional Forensic Examination Office, Yury Kravchenko said that they had visited the colony on a number of occasions to examine Ms Tymoshenko but that the latter had refused to allow them to examine her.

Photos showing the bruises were made public on 27 April. She was also visited by the outgoing Human Rights Ombudsperson Nina Karpachova who made the photographs public.

Dr Hurov said that as a forensic expert he cannot draw conclusions from photographs.  He expressed bemusement that various experts did feel competent to draw conclusions on the basis of the photographs regarding the changes on Ms Tymoshenko’s body without having the relevant medical documents.

On 4 May the Prosecutor General accused Nina Karpachova of forging an expert assessment regarding Tymoshenko’s injuries by employees of the Kachanivska Colony.  The Kyiv Prosecutor’s Office is planning to complete an investigation into this alleged forgery by 15 May.

At a roundtable in Brussels, the Deputy Prosecutor General Renat Kuzmin asked “Who would dare beat her”.  He also asserted that reform was taking place now of legislation, and that doctors, told Ukrainian and European Members of Parliament were being allowed to see the former Prime Minister.

The BBC Ukrainian Service goes on to note that Europe is concerned over what is happening in Ukraine and is calling on Ukraine “to change the situation with respect to Yulia Tymoshenko”.

See the numerous links below for details about democratic countries’ concern.

After12 Presidents aannounced that they would not be attending the Central and East European States' Presidential Meeting in Yalta because of the situation with Yulia Tymoshenko, the summit was put off indefinitely.

There is considerable debate at present as to whether government officials will boycoutt the Euro 2012 Football Championship in July

New information reported by the BBC Ukrainian Service

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