Ukraine jails Tymoshenko for seven years — EUbusiness.com | EU news, business and politics Ukraine jails Tymoshenko for seven years 11 October 2011, 21:00 CET — filed under: Ukraine , rights , Headline , trial , politics Yulia Tymoshenko - Photo EU Council (KIEV) - A Ukrainian court Tuesday jailed ex-prime minister Yulia Tymoshenko for seven years after convicting her of abusing power, enraging the West and jeopardising Kiev's hopes of EU membership. EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton said the verdict would have "profound implications" for the bloc's ties with Ukraine, which had hoped this year to sign an Association Agreement in a key first step to membership. The United States bitterly condemned "a politically motivated prosecution" while Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin expressed bewilderment at the severity of the sentence. UN chief Ban Ki-moon said he "expects the judicial proceedings currently still ongoing to be conducted in a fair and impartial manne", his spokeswoman Vannina Maestracci said.

In apparent recognition of the potentially devastating consequences for the country, President Viktor Yanukovych insisted the decision was not final and that he understood the European Union's anxiety over the trial. Judge Rodion Kireyev found Tymoshenko guilty of exceeding her authority while prime minister in 2009 by making the state energy company sign a 10-year gas import deal with Russia that was overly advantageous to Moscow. "The court rules that Y.V. Tymoshenko intentionally used her powers to criminal ends," Kireyev said in his judgement. "The court finds her guilty and sentences her to seven years in prison." Kireyev said Tymoshenko sustained a loss to state gas firm Naftogaz of 1.5 billion hryvnia ($190 million) by agreeing the 10-year contract and ordered her to pay back the money in full herself. Tymoshenko, her hair plaited intricately around her head and wearing an immaculate beige dress, defiantly shouted "Glory to Ukraine!" in response. "We will fight and defend my good name in the European court. We have to be strong and defend Ukraine from this authoritarianism," she said.

Tymoshenko has portrayed the three-month trial as a historic fight to ensure Ukraine's future at the heart of Europe and a vendetta pursued by Yanukovych to eliminate her from politics after their tight tussle in 2010 presidential elections. Ukrainian boxing star Vitali Klitschko, who has emerged as one of Tymoshenko's most vocal champions, described the verdict as an act of "political hara-kiri" which would harm Kiev's bid for closer EU ties. Tymoshenko was later driven in a prison van back to the Lukyanovsky detention centre, where she has been held since her arrest on August 5 for contempt of court. Since coming to power, Yanukovych had sought to confound critics who portrayed him as a pro-Kremlin relic from the USSR by setting EU integration as his main aim and snubbing an offer to join a customs union with Russia. But Ashton warned that a full reassessment of the EU's ties with Kiev could be needed. "The EU is deeply disappointed with the verdict. The EU will reflect on its policies towards Ukraine," she said.

US State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said Washington was "deeply disappointed" by the decision to jail Tymoshenko and said the verdict raised "serious concern" over Ukraine's commitment to democracy. Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, who oversaw the signing of the 2009 deal, said he did not "completely understand why she has been given these seven years," according to the government website. Putin said it was "dangerous and counterproductive to question this set of agreements" signed with Ukraine on Russian gas imports. The Russian foreign ministry meanwhile complained that it saw a "clear anti-Russian subtext" to the case. France, Germany and Poland all condemned the outcome of the trial. But Yanukovych said that the court of appeal still lay ahead and also appeared to allude to moves to decriminalise the statute in the criminal code under which Tymoshenko was condemned. The former Orange Revolution leader was flanked by her husband Olexander and daughter Yevgenia, who comforted her clearly distressed mother as the verdict was given. Tymoshenko also stared gravely at her iPad. The verdict was in line with the demand of prosecutors, who wanted a sentence of seven years.

The judge also ruled that Tymoshenko would not be able to hold state posts for three years. Hundreds of Tymoshenko supporters gathered outside the court in central Kiev in a tense standoff with similar numbers of elite Berkut anti-riot police as the verdict was read out. A dozen people, including her supporters and topless protesters from the FEMEN feminist group, were arrested, police said. Document Actions Widgets Magazine Get short URL 0 3 0 0 Ukraine and Germany are in talks on jailed former Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko treatment in one of Berlin clinics, Ukrainian media reported on Sunday, quoting German news agency DPA. Ukraine and Germany are in talks on jailed former Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko treatment in one of Berlin clinics, Ukrainian media reported on Sunday, quoting German news agency DPA. “German government conducts negotiation with Ukrainian government on possible treatment of Tymoshenko in Germany,” reported Ukrainian news agency Ukrinform. A source in Berlin Clinic Charite confirmed DPA agency information about the talks. “Our clinic and Ukrainian side conduct negotiations on this issue,” DPA wrote.

Last Friday, First Deputy Prosecutor General of Ukraine, Renat Kuzmin, said in his interview to the state agency Ukrinform that the Ukrainian government was considering the possibility of treatment of former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko in Germany. According to the State Penitentiary Service of Ukraine, Tymoshenko has repeatedly refused to undergo treatment in the prisony colony where she is serving her sentence. Lawyers of former prime minister say that Tymoshenko cannot to be treated in the colony because she needs treatment at a specialized medical clinic recommended by a group of German doctors who examined her. Supporters of the jailed politician claim that Tymoshenko’s health has deteriorated since she was put into pretrial detention in August 2011 and that she is no longer able to walk due to back problems. In October 2011, Tymoshenko was sentenced to seven years in prison on charges of abuse of office , for exceeding her authority in signing a 2009 gas deal with Russia. Her trial was condemned by both the European Union and Russia as politically motivated. She is currently serving her sentence in a women’s prison near Ukraine's second largest city, Kharkov. ...

Explainer: What exactly is going on in Ukraine? Explainer: What exactly is going on in Ukraine? Daragh Brophy Explainer: What exactly is going on in Ukraine? More Mass street protests have been taking place in Ukraine since last month— the largest since the country’s pro-democracy ‘ Orange Revolution ‘ in 2004. At the focus of the protest movement is the Government’s decision not to sign a pact that would bring closer ties with the EU, and pull the country away from the influence of Russia. Yesterday, the country’s President held talks with Vladimir Putin on a new strategic partnership with Moscow, in preparation for a “future treaty”. So what’s going on in the former Soviet state? What are the factors in the dispute? What’s likely to happen in the short-term? And what are the wider ramifications? TheJournal.ie takes a look: The eastern European nation shares a nearly 2,300 km border with Russia. It also borders six other countries — Belarus, Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania and Moldova, as well as the Black Sea. It has a population of 45 million people. The official State language is Ukranian .

Known as the Ukranian Soviet Socialist Republic from 1922, it declared itself an independent nation in 1991, with the fall of the USSR. [Image: Google Maps] Who is in power? The pro-Russian Viktor Yanukovich has been president since February 2010. A divisive figure in the country — previously, he was the country’s prime minister under Leonid Kuchma. After the Supreme Court ruled in 2004 that electoral fraud had been committed in his favour, he lost out on the presidency after second run-off vote, which followed the Orange Revolution protests. Pro-West opposition leader Viktor Yushchenko then took power, before losing out once again to Yanukovych six years later. Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych [Mindaugas Kulbis/AP/Press Association Images] Yanukovych continued to lead the pro-Russia ‘Party of the Regions’ in the wake of his defeat, and served as second period as Prime Minister, under Yushchenko, between 2006 and 2007.

He defeated the co-leader of the Orange Revolution Yulia Tymoshenko in a run-off vote in the 2010 election. Controversially, Tymoshenko was jailed for seven years in 2011 for criminally exceeding her powers, a conviction viewed by the West as a case of selective justice. Yushchenko and Tymoshenko during an Orange Revolution rally in December 2004 [Efrem Lukatsky/AP/Press Association Images] Whatever happened to the Orange Revolution anyway? After sweeping to power on a tide of popular support following the protests of 2004, the relationship between President Yushchenko and Prime Minister Tymoshenko soon turned sour. Yushchenko fired her from the role late in 2005, but Tymoshenko was reappointed two years later (taking over from Yanukovych) as the ruling parties rebuilt their alliance. However, the two continued to be at odds for the rest of their time in power.

Hundreds of thousands of demonstrators gather to protest electoral fraud in November 2004 [Efrem Lukatsky/AP/Press Association Images] Though Yushchenko presided over some democratic reforms, progress towards EU membership was hampered by divided public opinion. As the global economic crisis hit in 2008, voters placed much of the blame at the President’s door. Yushchenko won less than 6 per cent of the vote in the 2010 election, coming fifth. Tymoshenko, however, remained comparatively popular, and made it through to the second round before being beaten by Yanukovych. International monitors rejected suggestions that the 2010 election had also been rigged. Ousted as Prime Minister, she was convicted of abusing her powers during her time in office — agreeing to a 2009 gas deal with Russia which was seen to have damaged Ukraine. Yushenko testified against his former colleague in the trial, which he called a “normal judicial process”. Tymoshenko on trial in October 2011 [Efrem Lukatsky/AP/Press Association Images] What sparked the the new protests?

The Government had been working for years on a landmark trade deal with the EU which would have paved the way for the former Soviet nation to join the group, but Yanukovych backed out of signing the agreement last month. It would have required Ukraine to adopt hundreds of EU laws, regulations and standards, along with a sweeping reform programme. In return, the agreement would have allowed for the abolition of visas for Ukrainian citizens, amongst other measures. Read More Ukrainian officials eventually admitted that the u-turn had resulted from Russian pressure. Moscow had threatened painful sanctions in order to keep the country from falling under further Western influence. The decision led to a widening of the cracks between the country’s pro-European western regions and its Russian-speaking industrial heartland, and thousands of protesters took to the streets protesting the last-minute decision to back out of the deal. As many as 100,000 people turned out for a rally in the centre of Kiev last weekend.

A demonstrator holds a torn portrait of Yanukovych at a 29 November rally [Sergei Grits/AP/Press Association Images] Opposition leaders, including world boxing champion Vitali Klitschko , who has declared his bid to run for the presidency in 2015, say the Government betrayed the people by balking after years of negotiations. The demonstrators have been continuing their vigil this week — and on Wednesday, the country’s three post-Soviet presidents, including Yushchenko, released a statement lending their support to the movement. Vitali Klitschko and other opposition figures at a rally last weekend [Ivan Sekretarev/AP/Press Association Images] The failure of the deal also stemmed from Yanukovych’s refusal to free Tymoshenko. The EU had been calling for her release as part of the agreement, but Tymoshenko herself offered to drop her demands to be freed if the President went ahead with the agreement without linking her to it. What are the opposition’s demands? The opposition had initially wanted see Yanukovych sign the so-called ‘Association Agreement’ and ensure Tymoshenko’s release.

But his failure to sign the deal, and a violent police crackdown on protesters last weekend has hardened those demands. The three main opposition parties in parliament now want both the President and his Cabinet to step down and call snap elections. Opposition supporters have set up a ‘tent city’ on Independence Square, blocked the main government building, occupied Kiev’s City Hall, and called for a general strike that has seen officials walk off their jobs in some western regions. There were around 5,000 demonstrators maintaining a presence in the city centre yesterday. Protesters eat at their tent camp in the central Independence Square in Kiev [Ivan Sekretarev/AP/Press Association Images] Tymoshenko went on hunger strike on 25 November over the Government’s decision to suspend the signing of the agreement. Her lawyer said on Wednesday that the 53-year-old had become ‘seriously weakened’ as a result, before her daughter confirmed yesterday that the former prime minister was ending her protest on the request of the Independence Square protesters and ‘EU leaders’. Where does Russia stand on all of this?

Vladimir Putin’s previously described the break-up of the USSR as one of history’s great tragedies, and wants to see the former Soviet states loosely realigned in a trade and military bloc led by Moscow. Central to the Russian leader’s vision is a ‘Customs Union’ that, besides Russia, already includes Belarus and Kazakhstan. Putin wants to build the alliance into an economic counterweight to the EU — a dream all but impossible to achieve without Ukraine’s involvement. He hinted this week that the protests have somehow been instigated by Western powers, calling them “pre-planned” and saying they “seem more like a pogrom than a revolution.” Yanukovych and Putin signing agreements during a meeting in Moscow last year [Alexei Nikolsky/Photas/Tass/Press Association Images] During a visit to Armenia on Monday, Putin sent a clear signal to Kiev, showing the economic advantages of remaining under Moscow’s wing by slashing Armenia’s natural gas price by 30 per cent. Armenia had also, until recently, been eyeing a pact with the EU, but is now entering negotiations to join the Customs Union. And the West?

The European Union has called on both the authorities and the opposition to show restraint, saying it is ready to resume talks on the Association Agreement. Lacking influence on the course of events in Kiev, however, Brussels has made no fresh efforts to persuade Yanukovych to adopt a more flexible position. Speaking this week, German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle lobbed a thinly veiled jab at Russia, saying “the threats and the use of economic pressure which we have seen over the last year are simply unacceptable”. Meanwhile, the US has urged Ukrainian authorities to heed the demands the thousands of demonstrators who have taken to the streets. Assistant Secretary of State Victoria Nuland said this week that Washington stood with the protesters, stating, “We urge the Ukrainian government to listen to the voices of its people who want to live in freedom.” US Assistant Secretary of State Victoria Nuland holds talks with Ukrainian Minister of Foreign Affairs Leonid Kozhara in Kiev this week [AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky] So where does that leave us? Under pressure from both the east and west, Ukrainian officials have taken some contradictory steps that suggest a leadership crisis. Speaking on Monday, Prime Minister Mykola Azarov denounced the protests as an attempted “coup”.

On Tuesday, he offered a formal Government apology for the excessive use of police force. Yanukovych is insisting his government still hopes Ukraine will one day join the European Union, but has put forward new financial conditions for any deal. Protesters clash with police outside the presidential office in Kiev last Sunday [Efrem Lukatsky/AP/Press Association Images] Azarov said this week that the Government was “ready for dialogue” with its opponents, but he stressed that EU leaders should discuss the agreement with the authorities, not the opposition. “Nazis, extremists and criminals cannot be partners in Euro integration,” Azarov told the German foreign minister. Meanwhile, Tymoshenko has called on the West to impose sanctions against Yanukovych and his family, as the nation’s worst political crisis in a decade continues. The opposition has called for another mass protest tomorrow at midday, which will likely be a crucial test of the movement’s ability to sustain its challenge to the current administration.

Kiev, last Sunday [Sergei Grits/AP/Press Association Images] Includes reporting from AFP Ukraine: Investigate Alleged Beating of Tymoshenko | Human Rights Watch May 1, 2012 12:01AM EDT Ukraine: Investigate Alleged Beating of Tymoshenko Ensure Adequate Treatment for Her Medical Condition Languages A policewoman stands near a board, with a portrait of former Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko, in central Kiev on May 1, 2012. The board reads "The 270th day in prison". © 2012 Reuters (Moscow) – The Ukrainian authorities should conduct a prompt, impartial, and thorough investigation into allegations that Yulia Tymoshenko was beaten by guards at the penal colony where she is being held, Human Rights Watch said today. Tymoshenko, the former prime minister, is serving a seven-year prison sentence at the Kachanovskaya penal colony in Kharkiv, in eastern Ukraine, on charges of exceeding her authority while in office. Human Rights Watch also expressed concern that Tymoshenko’s October 2011 prosecution and conviction were politically motivated.

On April 22, 2012, Tymoshenko’s lawyer made a statement to the media that, on April 20, guards had beaten Tymoshenko, who is suffering from ongoing spine-related health problems, as they were forcibly transferring her to a hospital from the penal colony. The guards twisted her arms and legs and hit her in the stomach, causing her to faint, the lawyer said. At the hospital, she refused a proposed treatment for her spinal problems as she believed it was not appropriate, the lawyer said, and was returned to prison on April 22. “It is outrageous that Tymoshenko may have been beaten to force her to go to a hospital against her will,” said Hugh Williamson , Europe and Central Asia director at Human Rights Watch. “These allegations should be investigated and anyone responsible for ill-treatment should be prosecuted.” On April 24, a representative of the office of the Ukrainian ombudsman visited Tymoshenko in prison and documented injuries consistent with physical abuse, including bruising on her upper body and abdomen. Following the visit, the Ombudsman’s Office issued an official statement asking the Prosecutor General’s Office to initiate a criminal investigation into the allegations of mistreatment.

The Ombudsman’s Office also asked the State Penitentiary Service of Ukraine to provide urgent medical help to Tymoshenko for her spinal problems. The State Penitentiary Service denied allegations of mistreatment. The district prosecutor’s office confirmed that Tymoshenko’s transfer to the hospital was carried out against her will, but contended that that the force used by the penal colony guards was justified and complied with Ukrainian law. According to media reports and numerous public statements by Tymoshenko’s lawyer, Tymoshenko started experiencing spine-related problems soon after her arrest in August 2011. She was transferred in December to the penal colony, where her health continued to deteriorate rapidly. In February, Tymoshenko refused the medical treatment offered to her in detention on the grounds that she did not trust the Ukrainian Penitentiary System doctors, and requested access to a trusted doctor. She also asked to be allowed to go to Germany for treatment. The colony’s administration denied both requests. Later in February, a group of Canadian and German doctors were allowed to examine Tymoshenko and concluded that her health problems were serious and systemic and required appropriate treatment.

They also concluded that the local hospital in Kharkiv is not sufficiently equipped to provide appropriate treatment, necessitating treatment elsewhere. The Ukrainian government has the obligation to provide adequate medical care to anyone in custody. Human Rights Watch called on the government of Ukraine to find a solution ensuring that Tymoshenko receives appropriate care as a matter of priority. October 2011 Trial and Sentencing Tymoshenko was sentenced to seven years in prison on charges of exceeding her authority during her most recent term as prime minister, from 2007 to 2010. The charges stem from a gas contract Tymoshenko brokered between the Ukrainian state oil and gas company, Naftogaz, and the Russian company, Gazprom, in 2009, and her approval of a directive to sign the contract without first getting the approval of the Cabinet of Ministers. Tymoshenko’s defense contended that she did not personally benefit financially from the gas deal and that her actions did not constitute a crime. Leading Ukrainian human rights groups as well as international organizations expressed concern that the charges against Tymoshenko were politically motivated.

Evgeniy Zakharov, the co-chair of the Kharkiv Human Rights Protection Group, a leading human rights organization that monitored Tymoshenko’s trial, told Human Rights Watch that his organization viewed the case against her as orchestrated by the authorities to remove a prominent opposition leader from the political scene. He also concluded that Tymoshenko’s trial was marred by procedural violations. For example his monitors observed that her counsel was consistently denied sufficient time to prepare her defense. Arkadiy Bushenko of the Ukrainian Helsinki Human Rights Union believes that the conviction does not have a sound legal basis because the actions for which Tymoshenko was convicted do not constitute a criminal offense. “I see no other reason behind this prosecution than to get rid of the strongest opposition leader and weaken the opposition in the country in general,” Bushenko told Human Rights Watch. In its 2012 World Report , Human Rights Watch criticized Ukraine’s judicial system for lack of impartiality and expressed concern that Tymoshenko’s conviction and the arrest and trial of other former government officials had undermined the public’s confidence in the judiciary’s independence. Tymoshenko had appealed the verdict, but the Kyiv Court of Appeal upheld the decision in December.

In January, Tymoshenko appealed that decision to the Higher Specialized Court of Ukraine on Civil and Criminal cases. Her appeal is pending, with a hearing scheduled for May 15. “There is no doubt that the motivation behind the decision to prosecute Tymoshenko is highly suspect,” Williamson said. “It may be that she was put on trial for making a judgment that the current administration disagrees with rather than committing a criminal act. Such a misuse of the criminal law undermines the very core of the rule of law. ” The Government’s Deepening Assault on Critical Journalism November 23, 2016 Yulia Tymoshenko trial verdict: Former Ukraine PM found guilty of abuse of office | Daily Mail Online comments Ukraine faced worldwide condemnation last night as ex-premier Yulia Tymoshenko was jailed for seven years for ‘abuse of office’ over a major gas contract with Russia. Protests broke out in the capital Kiev after what was widely seen in the West as a show trial. Mrs Tymoshenko, 50, insisted she would appeal and blamed her treatment on Viktor Yanukovych, who narrowly beat her in last year’s presidential election.

'I will not stop my fight': A Ukrainian Interior Ministry official asks former prime minister Yulia Tymoshenko to keep quiet while judge Rodion Kireyev reads the verdict. She was jailed for seven years for abuse of office The former PM compared her verdict, which she claimed was written by her longtime foe, President Viktor Yanukovych (pictured), to the horrific purges by Soviet dictator Josef Stalin Last night there was a furious reaction from the EU, Washington and even Russia – normally a supporter of Mr Yanukovych. EU foreign policy chief Baroness Ashton said she was ‘deeply disappointed’ with the verdict and warned that Ukraine’s plans to become part of the Union by signing a free trade deal were now in jeopardy. Mrs Tymoshenko is said to have cheated Ukraine out of £130million in a 2009 gas deal signed with Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin. She has been ordered to repay the full amount. Mrs Tymoshenko remained calm, but didn't wait for Judge Rodion Kireyev to finish reading the lengthy ruling, standing and addressing reporters in the courtroom as he spoke.

She compared her verdict, which she claimed was written by her longtime foe, President Viktor Yanukovych, to the horrific purges by Soviet dictator Josef Stalin. 'The year 1937 has returned to Ukraine with this verdict and all the repression of citizens,' she said. She added that she would contest the ruling, which also bans her from holding government posts for three years after she completes her sentence. 'As for me, be sure that I will not stop my fight even for a minute. I will always be with you as long as it is necessary.' RELATED ARTICLES Share this article Share 'Nobody, not Yanukovych, not Kireyev, can humiliate my honest name. I have worked and will continue to work for Ukraine's sake,' Mrs Tymoshenko told reporters earlier. As the judge was leaving the courtroom, Mrs Tymoshenko's husband Oleksandr yelled out that his time would also come for a similar verdict. One Tymoshenko supporter shouted 'Shame!' Purge: Tymoshenko reassures her daughter, Yevgenia, as the verdict is being read out.

She compared her verdict, which she claimed was written by her longtime foe, President Viktor Yanukovych, to the horrific purges by Soviet dictator Josef Stalin Politics: Court security guards avert their gaze as Tymoshenko embraces her husband Oleksander. He yelled out as the judge left the courtroom, promising the current regime's time would come Mrs Tymoshenko was found guilty of exceeding her authority during the signing of a natural gas import contract with Russia in 2009. The court ruled that she was not authorised to order the contract signed and that the price she agreed to was too high, causing losses to the state budget. The European Union was quick to condemn the verdict as politically motivated and urged the Ukrainian authorities to ensure a transparent and fair appeals process for Mrs Tymoshenko. A failure to do so would have 'profound implications' for Ukraine-EU relations and could jeopardise the conclusion of a landmark association agreement, Baroness Ashton said in a statement. Mrs Tymoshenko was a driving force behind the 2004 Orange Revolution, which overturned Mr Yanukovych's fraud-tainted election victory that year.

Last year, Mr Yanukovych staged a comeback, narrowly defeating his rival in a presidential vote amid public disenchantment with economic hardships and constant bickering among the political class. Riot police detain a supporter of the former PM in Kiev today. Outside the courtroom, her supporters and opponents held competing rallies Mrs Tymoshenko has already spent over two months in jail after Judge Kireyev ordered her arrested for contempt of court. She had also spent several weeks in prison in 2001 on charges of document forgery and tax evasion, but the charges were later dropped. Mrs Tymoshenko maintains her innocence and charges that her trial was orchestrated by Mr Yanukovych in order to bar her from upcoming elections. She says as prime minister she did not need any special permission to order the signing of the gas deal and maintains her actions helped end a bitter pricing dispute between Moscow and Kiev, which had led to energy supply shortages across Europe. On Tuesday, the area outside the court building was flooded by helmeted riot police as supporters and opponents of Mrs Tymoshenko held competing rallies. Police buses blocked traffic on Kreshchatik Avenue, which runs through the heart of the capital.

YULIA TYMOSHENKO: RISE AND FALL OF THE 'ORANGE' REVOLUTIONARY National heroine: In this 2005 file photo supporters of Yulia Tymoshenko carry her on their shoulders during a huge rally at the Indepedence Square in Kiev to mark the first anniversary of Ukraine's Orange Revolution Born in November 1960, Yulia Tymoshenko shot to world prominence when she helped lead the 'Orange Revolution' street protests in Kiev in 2004-5 which doomed President Viktor Yanukovich's first bid for power. With her peasant-style hairbraid - her political trademark - she enthralled her supporters with fiery speeches in which she portrayed herself as the saviour of Ukraine from corruption and criminality. Mr Yanukovich, who defeated her in a presidential election in February 2010 and is her political arch-rival, has been the principal target of her invective. Tymoshenko's fiery performance in the 'Orange Revolution' earned her the role of prime minister under Viktor Yushchenko, her ally in the protests. He became president.

Tymoshenko fell out with Mr Yushchenko and was sacked in September 2005 after less than eight months in office. She was later briefly reconciled with Mr Yushchenko and had a second spell as prime minister. In January 2009, as prime minister, Tymoshenko brokered the 10-year gas deal with her Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, which has now led to her conviction. The prosecution in her trial alleged she abused her power by rail-roading the state energy firm, Naftogaz, into signing a 2009 gas import agreement with Russia. Mr Yushchenko, who has appeared as a witness at her trial, put the blame squarely on her. He says she went to Moscow to negotiate the deal by herself and then hid details of it from him. For her part, Tymoshenko says the trial against her is a vendetta by Yanukovich aimed at neutralising her as a political force. The United States and the European Union, which see her trial as politically motivated, have called for an end to the case against her and for her to be released.

Widgets Magazine Get short URL 0 1 0 0 Jailed former Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko may soon be sharing a cell with a woman convicted of murder, Tymoshenko’s lawyer Serhiy Vlasenko said on Monday. Jailed former Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko may soon be sharing a cell with a woman convicted of murder, Tymoshenko’s lawyer Serhiy Vlasenko said on Monday. “Several days ago a third bed was put in Tymoshenko’s cell. The prison’s authorities told her that the bed would probably be occupied by a very intelligent, smart and tolerant woman who was serving a jail term for a premeditated murder,” Ukrainian news agency UNIAN quoted Vlasenko as saying. In October 2011, Tymoshenko was sentenced to seven years in prison on charges of abuse of office, for exceeding her authority in signing a 2009 gas deal with Russia. Her trial was condemned by both the European Union and Russia as politically motivated. She is currently serving her sentence in a women’s prison near Ukraine's second largest city, Kharkiv. The ex-premier’s other cellmate was convicted of bank fraud.

Supporters of the jailed politician claim Tymoshenko’s health has deteriorated since her pre-trial detention began in August 2011 and that she is no longer able to walk due to back problems. Ukraine faces critical east-west tug of war over EU association agreement | World news | The Guardian Ukraine Ukraine faces critical east-west tug of war over EU association agreement EU deal would allow Ukraine free trade with Europe, and is seen as symbolic move away from former Communist masters Support for jailed former Ukrainian prime minister Yulia Tymoshenko, who is in the middle of the tug of war over the EU agreement.

Photograph: Gleb Garanich/Reuters Oksana Grytsenko in Kiev and Shaun Walker in Moscow Wednesday 20 November 2013 10.09 EST First published on Wednesday 20 November 2013 10.09 EST Close This article is 3 years old Standing by a tent adorned with EU flags in Kiev's Independence Square, Vitali Selyk hands out leaflets declaring: "For a European future." A few hundred metres away, posters outside the metro station warn that closer ties with the EU will lead Ukraine down a path of rising prices, job losses and legalised gay marriages. These different visions of the future reflect rising tension in Ukraine in the face of a critical east-or-west moment. Next week, an association agreement with the EU is on the table at a summit in Vilnius, Lithuania. While falling short of giving Ukraine EU member status, the agreement provides for free trade with Europe and is seen as a symbolic move westward, away from the former Communist masters in Moscow. A furious Kremlin has used a combination of small potential carrots and huge potential sticks, warning that if Ukraine signs the agreement it could lead to economic turmoil and political unrest.

Moscow wants Ukraine to join its own free trade grouping, the customs union of Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan , which many have seen as an effort to reconstitute elements of the Soviet Union. In the middle of this tug of war sits the jailed former prime minister, Yulia Tymoshenko. Ukraine's rulers have said they want to sign the EU deal, but they could end up sabotaging it if President Viktor Yanukovych does not release Tymoshenko by next week. European leaders have said many times that she must be released before a deal can be signed, but parliament has repeatedly stalled on passing the required legislation. "If we get the association agreement, then at least my children will live a better life," says Selyk, 24. "But if we join the customs union, then all will remain the same." Those who oppose the EU deal have pointed to crippling consequences for Ukraine's troubled economy, which is stuck in a spiral of negative growth. Hit by weaker demand for its exports, Ukraine's credit ratings have been cut as the country's foreign reserves fell in October to their lowest since 2006.

Eurosceptics say that Ukraine's creaking factories will be forced to conform to EU standards in an implausibly short time, causing chaos and reducing production. "At least 20 million people will lose their jobs," said Olena Markosian, chief analyst of Ukrainsky Vybor, a pro-Russian group headed by Viktor Medvedchuk, a friend of the Russian president, Vladimir Putin . Markosian calls Ukraine's move towards the EU a scam that will be painful for the industrial eastern regions of Ukraine, economically the most dependent on Russia. Ukraine suffers from an acute regional and demographic split, with residents of the west and centre as well as the young more pro-European, while the eastern and southern regions and elderly people are more orientated towards Russia . Although the number of Ukrainians who support the agreement with the EU has risen since last summer, it is still only at 45% according to a poll. Only 14% support joining the pro-Russian block. Outraged by Ukraine's movements to push ahead with the EU deal, Russia applied trade sanctions against a number of Ukrainian goods earlier this year, including pipes and chocolate.

In late October, Russia introduced customs procedures hampering clearance for trucks exporting goods from Ukraine, leading to lengthy traffic jams at the border. The Kremlin's point man on Ukraine said if the deal was signed, Russia could cease to recognise Ukraine's status as a state. Petro Poroshenko, a former minister, said that after Russia banned the products of his confectionery company Roshen, purchases in Ukraine increased by 13%, and there were calls to boycott Russian goods across Ukraine. But recently, authorities seem to have yielded to Russian pressure. On 9 November, Yanukovych visited Putin in Moscow, a trip made in almost complete secrecy. A few days later, Ukraine's parliament, where the majority of seats are controlled by the pro-presidential Party of Regions, failed to pass the final three laws to fulfil the demands posed by Brussels in order to successfully sign the deal. The same day Ukraine's prime minister, Mykola Azarov, said that the normalisation of relations with Russia was "issue number one for national policy". "These signals from the ruling party show some proposals came from Russia, and they were quite significant," says Oleksandr Sushko, of the Institute for Euro-Atlantic Co-operation in Kiev.

He suggested the incentives could include promises of cheaper gas, favourable loans or personal advantages for Yanukovych. "The ruling party would like the EU to react to this and soften its demands." European leaders have made it clear that Ukraine needs to free Tymoshenko, co-leader of the 2004 Orange Revolution against fraudulent elections that ultimately prevented Yanukovych from assuming the presidency. After losing to Yanukovych by just a few per cent in 2010, Tymoshenko was put on trial and sentenced to seven years in jail for exceeding her authority as prime minister, in a case widely seen as an attempt by the president to oust his political rival. European mediators have promoted the idea of sending Tymoshenko, who suffers from severe back pain, to Germany for medical treatment, as a compromise allowing Yanukovych to save face. But his party has blocked any attempts to pass the bill in parliament. A further attempt to do so on Tuesday was postponed until Thursday.

Oleksandr Yefremov, leader of the Party of Regions parliamentary faction, said there was only a 50% chance that the laws needed for the signing of the EU deal would be passed this week Sushko said Yanukovych was hoping Europe would agree to sign the deal without freeing Tymoshenko and also grant Ukraine financial assistance. "This is a risky game, in which both Ukraine and Europe may lose to Putin," he said. Russia's belligerence has given the deal symbolic importance for Brussels as well as Kiev. As EU officials begin to realise that Tymoshenko may not be released in time, there are some who want to press ahead anyway, to avoid Ukraine slipping back into Russia's orbit. It would be an embarrassing climbdown, given how many times European leaders have stressed that the agreement is impossible without her release, but if at a dinner during the summit next week Yanukovych gives his word that he will release her in the coming months, a last-minute compromise arrangement could be possible. Poroshenko, who is also an opposition MP, said he was still optimistic on Ukraine's chances of signing the historic pact with the EU.

"If it doesn't happen, Ukraine will lose the trust of the entire world," he said. "I believe that common sense should win through." From PM to prisoner 1990s Head of United Energy Systems of Ukraine (UESU), where she was nicknamed the "Gas Princess". 1996 Becomes an MP. 2000 Appointed deputy PM (in charge of energy). 2004 Pro-Russian Viktor Yanukovych becomes president of Ukraine but election is widely seen as rigged. 2004 Tymoshenko leads the Orange revolution, along with ally Viktor Yushchenko. Yanukovych is overthrown. 2005 Yushchenko becomes president and Tymoshenko prime minister. She is later sacked eight months later by her former ally. 2007-2010 Tymoshenko returns as PM. 2009 Signs a controversial gas deal with Russia. 2010 Beaten by Yanukovych in presidential election. 2011 Jailed for seven years for abuse of power, accused of doing gas deal detrimental to Ukraine. 2013 European court of human rights rules that Tymoshenko's arrest was illegal and politically motivated.

Biggest demonstrations since Orange revolution after Viktor Yanukovych allegedly aborts trade deal under Russian pressure Published: 24 Nov 2013 Yulia Tymoshenko calls for Ukrainians to take to the streets as President Yanukovych comes under pressure from Kremlin Published: 22 Nov 2013 Ukraine was due to sign accord at summit next week but MPs reject key bills, especially on freeing Yulia Tymoshenko from jail Published: 21 Nov 2013 Kremlin claims neighbouring state faces financial ruin and possible collapse if integration agreement goes ahead Published: 22 Sep 2013

Question: Yulia Tymoshenko, controversially jailed for seven years in 2011 for exceeding her authority in signing a Russian gas deal, was prime minister of which country?
Answer: Ukraine