The attempts to strip Serhiy Vlasenko, opposition MP and Tymoshenko’s defender of his mandate are especially worrying given criminal investigations initiated against him in January this year

The criminal investigation against Bohdan Danylyshyn, Economy Minister in Yulia Tymoshenko’s Government has been terminated, almost 2 years after he was granted political asylum in the Czech Republic

In an ominous end to the week which saw assurances given to the EU, Verkhovna Rada Speaker Rybak has initiated an attempt to use the High Administration Court to strip Serhiy Vlasenko of his seat in parliament. Vlasenko is also Yulia Tymoshenko’s defence counsel

German doctors from the Charite Clinic in Berlin have examined imprisoned former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko and “strongly advise her to continue treatment in hospital conditions

During the same event on Wednesday, Aleksander Kwaśniewski expressed surprise that ten months before the Eastern Partnership Summit a new criminal case had been brought against Ms Tymoshenko alleging her involvement in the Shcherban.murder

As EU leaders gave a clear time limit to Kyiv for resolving specific problems, including “cases of selective justice”, the President’s Administration resorted to deception to avoid other issues being raised

In this interview, Valery Ivashchenko refutes the Ukrainian Foreign Minister’s claim that he didn’t receive political asylum in Denmark and says that he was effectively offered freedom if he or his relatives would testify against Tymoshenko

Last week’s interrogation of “witnesses” did not just confirm all scepticism over Prosecutor General Pshonkas’ public claim to have evidence that imprisoned former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko ordered the killing of MP and Donetsk businessman Eugene Shcherban in 1996. It also graphically highlighted the embarrassingly caricature nature of the whole exercise

Ukraine’s leaders have little time left to put aside the selective justice which has led to the imprisonment of the most prominent opposition figures in the country and seriously marred Ukraine’s reputation. The refusal to release Lutsenko is clearly a bad sign.

MPs from the Batkivshchyna Party have had a criminal case initiated over alleged resistance shown to law enforcement officers in the Kyiv Court of Appeal

Viktor Romanyuk who recently stood for election to parliament from the opposition Batkivshchyna Party in the problematical single-mandate electoral district No. 94, has been forced to leave Ukraine

In yet another worrying development, the mprisoned former Prime Minister has been fined $2 thousand over her refusal to appear in court for investigative activities linked with the criminal investigation into the murder of MP and businessman Eugene Shcherban in 1996.

The Danish Foreign Ministry has confirmed that Denmark has granted the former Acting Minister of Defence in Yulia Tymoshenko’s government, Valery Ivashchenko political asylum.

Channel ATN reports that on Tuesday, Kharkiv enforcement officers travelled around “reception offices” of the Batkivshchyna MP Arsen Aavakov, trying to carry out searches.

Former Interior Minister and opposition leader Yury Lutsenko’s lawyers are planning to call for his release on the grounds of health. Human rights activists and political analysts say that this would have a positive impact on relations between Ukraine and the EU.

At a joint press conference with Viktor Yanukovych, Lithuania’s President Grybauskaite: stated clearly that the EU-Ukraine Agreement is linked with politically motivated prosecution of opposition leaders, and that the situation must be resolved

Štefan Füle, European Commissioner for Enlargement and European Neighbourhood Policy also noted the EU’s frustration over the lack of positive movement from Kyiv regarding politically motivated justice

Observers in Ukraine and at least one MEP, Rebekka Harms, do not see the visit by European Parliament’s Delegation to Ukraine as having in any way brought resolution of the problem with political prisoners.closer.

On Monday the heads of the European Parliament’s Special Commission – former Polish President Kwaśniewski and former EP President Cox – visited imprisoned former Interior Minister and opposition leader Yury Lutsenko in the Mensk Prison Colony

EU High Representative Catherine Ashton has warned Ukraine’s leaders that time is short and that cases of selective justice must be addressed