YULIA TYMOSHENKO: EUROPE CONDEMS YANUKOVYCH REGIME IN UKRAINE
The European Court of HR verdict is an extremely important sign Western democracies gave to a post Soviet dictatorship. Why democracy and HR must be a priority for all western societies
PHILADELPHIA, 04-30-2013. We can have all kind of doubts about today’s world, but one aspect is certain: HR and Democracy are a fundamental value for western civilizations: the USA and the EU.
On Tuesday, April 30th, the European Court of Human Rights described former Ukrainian PM Yulia Tymoshenko’s arrest as a politically motivated violation of the rights of the leader of Ukrainian democratic orange opposition.
European Court’s statement is a positive signal the Western world gave to Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych, who since his came to power in 2010 involved Ukraine in a post-Soviet dictatorship, similar to Alyaksandar Lukashenka’s one in Belarus.
Yulia Tymoshenko was arrested on October 2011 after an unfair and non-free trial, during which the Defense had no respected rights, and the same former Ukrainian PM was jailed before the verdict since August 2011.
Tymoshenko was jailed due to the urgent decision she brought to sign on January 2009 a new gas supplies contract with Russia, in order to recover the transit of Russian gas to the EU -as the same EU asked Tymosheko to do- that Moscow previously cut, aiming to destabilize Tymoshenko’s “pro-European” government.
Moreover, Tymoshenko was condemned once again for the bankrupt of YEESU, an energy concern she used to lead before becoming a politician in 1998.
Tymoshenko is also accused for the murder of Deputy Yevhen Shcherban: a fact occurred in 1996 in Donetsk, which de facto helped President Yanukovych political career.
Tymoshenko’s case is a story of HR violation in a corner of Europe. Those, few people, who had the possibility to assist to Tymoshenko trial, agree on that former Ukrainian Opposition was jailed because of a precise political design planed by President Yanukovych’s Administration.
The witnesses of this page of HR violation were heard in Europe by the European Commission, the Council of Europe, Germany, Sweden, Poland, Slovakia, Czech Republic, France, Austria and the UK. In the United States of America, the Presidential Administration, the Department of State, the Democrat lead Senate and the Republican lead House of Representative expressed a strong critic to the regress of democracy and the lack of freedom in Ukraine.
Appeals to free Tymoshenko and stop all political motivated trials in Ukraine, were addressed to Ukrainian President Yanukovych also by Canada, Australia, Russian Federation, Brazil, the Vatican.
Also NATO, the UN and almost all international ONGs engaged in the respect of HR condemned Tymoshenko’s arrest.
Nevertheless, several Western countries stood up with less energy than the situation required to do, as Italy and Spain. In Italy, witnesses of Tymoshenko trial were heard by few politicians and few ONG which are supposed to defend democracy in the World.
Several analysts in Italy just underlined the contradictions of Tymoshenko past life, which really exist, by this lead to hide the true nature of Tymoshenko’s case: an unacceptable violation of HR and a regress of democracy in a part of Europe.
The European Court of HR’s verdict gives justice to Tymoshenko and the Ukrainian Orange Democrats, and guarantees HR right activist for Ukraine –in particular to the few Italian ones- a satisfaction they did not received in their Homelands.
Nevertheless, Democracy and HR respect in Ukraine remain far to be a reality. Tymoshenko, and other Opposition’s activists, are still repressed and jailed, the freedom of press is not guaranteed, and President Yanukovych enlarged his personal powers over the Parliament.
To understand why Tymsohenko’s freedom, and more in general a democratic Ukraine, must be a priority for the Western world communities, we need to remember that just the spread of democracy worldwide allows the internal security –from the military, social and economic point of view- in those countries yet governed by democracy.
We have also to remember, that the defense of HR must be a priority worldwide. We can’t stand up for HR respect just in internal social matters, as the right to abortion and same sex marriage, and forget that in the world, not only in Ukraine, there are a lot of people suffering for the lack of Democracy and freedom.
Matteo Cazzulani
Free Lance Journalist and Witness of Tymoshenko trial
Firma appello “LIBERTA' PER YULIA TYMOSHENKO”
http://www.welfarenetwork.it/index.php?option=com_petitions&view=petition&id=159%3Aliberta-per-yulia-tymoshenko&Itemid=172
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Matteo Cazzulani
Free Lance Journalist
+393493620416 / +380935284109 / +48507620325
m.cazzulani@gazeta.pl
http://matteocazzulani.wordpress.com
http://matteocazzulaniinternational.wordpress.com
http://matteocazzulani.blogspot.com/
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E' uscito il mio libro "La Democrazia Arancione, Storia dell'Ucraina dall'Indipendenza alle presidenziali 2010" ed. LibriBianchi. Parte dei proventi finanzia l'associazione AnnaViva.
