Chair judge of Pechersk District Court of Kyiv Rodion Kireyev ordered that Ukraine's former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko, the defendant in a gas supply case, be removed from the courtroom on Friday.
Tymoshenko was removed from the courtroom for one sitting, her official website reports. It took place after the judge persuaded Tymoshenko to stand up and make a statement.
"Her behavior demonstrates contempt of court," Kireyev said.
"Your actions are aimed at delaying the trial and violate the norms of the Criminal Procedure Code," the judge said.
Bickering between the judge and the defendant over the need to stand up in court continued for almost an hour and a half after Pechersky District Court opened its sitting on Friday. Tymoshenko flatly refused to stand up in court.
Tymoshenko made another request today to dismiss Kireyev from her case.
"I want to call for the disqualification of the presiding judge for unlawful acts, based on article 54 of the Criminal Procedure Code," Tymoshenko said during today’s court hearing.
She once against stated that her rights and fundamental freedoms are being violated by the court.
"I’m not being given the opportunity to defends myself, express my position, or apply the norms of the Constitution. I came here to carry out laws, but I’m not being given that opportunity," said Tymoshenko.
Nevertheless, Judge Kireyev did not let her speak, ignored her previous statements and referencing article 272 of the Criminal Procedure Code, threw Tymoshenko out of the courtroom for one court hearing.
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