Bundestag Members slam show trial of Tymoshenko and new charges

At a press conference in Kharkiv on Saturday, Viola von Cramon said that Europe is convinced of the show political trial nature of the criminal prosecution of Yulia Tymoshenko. Ms von Cramon, , Green Party Spokesperson on Foreign Relations with the EU in the German Bundestag, added that in Europe they are sure that the trials of opposition figures are show trials and violate the principles of democracy and human rights.

The Bundestag Deputy believes that Ukraine could be stripped of the right to hold Euro 2012 because of the prosecution of opposition figures, and that the EU could also refuse to sign an EU-Ukraine Association Agreement.

Reported at UNIAN

Interfax Ukraine reports Bundestag Member Helga Daub at the same press conference as saying that the new investigation against the former Prime Minister and opposition leader as politically motivated.

"The new case concerns the events that took place in the 1990s. We understand that Tymoshenko is not a saint, but, frankly speaking, many various events, in which current politicians participated, happened in the 1990s, and you can open cases against all of them. But for some reason, a case was opened against the opposition, against Tymoshenko. Such methods are inconsistent with the principles of a law-based state, "

She believes it would be unacceptable to sign an Association Agreement with Ukraine until “minimum legal standards» are observed.