Yulia Tymoshenko’s lawyer Mykola Siryi has called the decision by Pechersk District Court Judge Rodion Kireyev to file a complaint with the Qualification and Disciplinary Committee of the Bar of the Kyiv Oblast against defense lawyers Serhiy Vlasenko and Mykola Tytarenko, who were wrongly removed from participation in the trial and denied the opportunity to provide comprehensive legal assistance to Yulia Tymoshenko in court, as "pubic pressure" on the defense.
"This can be regarded as public pressure on the defense and we hope very much that such forms of pressure on the defense will not continue in this or other cases," Mykola Siryi said during a press conference today in Kyiv, Tymoshenko’s official website reports.
In his turn, lawyer Mykola Tytarenko said that documents related to him have already been submitted to the disciplinary board. "However, I haven’t received any information from this agency.
The opening of disciplinary proceedings against a lawyer is considered by the head of the disciplinary committee and a written explanation from the lawyer is required. But so far I have not been asked to provide any explanations," he said.
"I look forward to this meeting. Of course we will appeal Kireyev’s resolutions within the 15-day period, we will use or right because we believe they are illegal. Furthermore, the procedure allows for the appeal of decisions by the disciplinary committee in the highest bodies of the bar and subsequently these decisions can be appealed in the courts," said Serhiy Vlasenko.
On Channel 5 late on July 18 Vlasenko also said that the European Court of Human Rights will consider a criminal case opened against Tymoshenko in an accelerated mode.
Ukraine’s state security service SBU had launched a criminal case linked to the affairs of an energy company once run by Tymoshenko.
Tymoshenko is on trial charged with abuse of office over a 2009 gas deal with Russia and is the target of two other criminal cases relating to her activities as prime minister.
She has dismissed all charges as politically motivated and accused the government of President Viktor Yanukovich, who narrowly beat her in the 2010 presidential election, of cracking down on opposition.
