In response to President Yanukovych’s statement that “releasing Tymoshenko would give the wrong signal to society”, some thoughts on the signals given society by the carefully orchestrated trial, verdict and new criminal prosecution of the former Prime Minister and opposition leader

While concern is rightly expressed over the trial of Yulia Tymoshenko, some recent developments in that of her Minister of Internal Affairs, Yury Lutsenko, are equally indicative of the travesty of justice being acted out in Ukraine

The Committee warns that failure to provide medical care for the former Minister of Internal Affairs held in custody since December 2010 is in breach of the European Convention on Human Rights. It demands that Lutsenko be immediately provided with proper specialized hospital care

In his legal commentary of the ruling by the Pechersky District Court on 5 August, the author concludes that the decision to remand the former Prime Minister in custody failed to comply with either international or domestic law

Second Preliminary Report from the Danish Helsinki Committee on the investigations and trials against former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko, former acting Minister of Defence Valeriy Ivashchenko, former Minister of the Interior Yurij Lutsenko and former First Deputy Minister of Justice Yevhen Korniychuk

We have already been through a situation where one half of the country was imprisoned and the other guarded them, and it ended in the total collapse of that country. Can the leadership of Ukraine not understand that political persecution leads to the country’s total isolation and collapse?.

A person is considered a political prisoner where political motives have played a significant and clearly defined role in the criminal or administrative proceedings against them – and only such prisoners

Political persecution is a challenge to Ukrainian society. The Committee is formed to inform Ukraine and the world of what is going on, to defend victims and, ultimately, ensure that an end is put to practice which has no place in Ukraine

On levers to stem the wave of human rights infringements and political repression in Ukraine

The phase from Stalin’s times: if there’s a person, an article (of the Criminal Code) can be found, has changed form, not essence. These days the traffic or tax police are sure to oblige. Or they’ll find some regulatory body, or talk with your boss, your lecturer, etc. Where there’s fear and lawlessness, levers can be found