KYIV, September 20 – An opposition party called for the release of 10 jailed protesters Thursday and prosecutors announced criminal charges against its leader, three days after tens of thousands of Ukrainians took to the streets to demand President Leonid Kuchma’s ouster.
The Batkivshchyna party, led by former Deputy Prime Minister Julia Tymoshenko, said 10 protesters remained in jail after riot police stormed the protesters’ tent camp outside the president’s office before dawn Tuesday, following large protests Monday.
Police reported detaining 64 protesters who they said refused to obey a court decision banning protests in downtown Kyiv. Under Ukrainian law, police can jail people for up to 10 days for disturbing the peace or obstructing police work.
On Wednesday, Kyiv’s Appeals Court ordered police to free the protesters. But nine people remained jailed on criminal charges of blocking key transport routes, opposition lawmaker Stepan Khmara said. If found guilty, the protesters could face up to 12 years in prison. A 10th protester is expected to stay in jail for five days for offending a judge, Khmara added.
The demonstrations Monday were the biggest since Ukraine’s independence from the Soviet Union 11 years ago. Supporters of opposition groups from Communists to pro-Western reformers vowed to occupy the area around Kuchma’s office until he steps down.
The Prosecutor General’s office announced Thursday it filed criminal charges against Tymoshenko and her business partners, claiming they misappropriated billions of dollars in state funds when running the now defunct Unified Energy Systems company, or UES – Ukraine’s key gas dealer in the 1990s.
The charges were filed in Kyiv’s Pechersk District Court on Sept. 9 after the conclusion of a criminal investigation that began last year, prosecutors said. One week earlier, Tymoshenko and other opposition leaders announced nationwide protests seeking to remove Kuchma.
Responding to an earlier request to strip Tymoshenko of her immunity from prosecution as a lawmaker, parliament argued in August that a court should find her guilty before they vote on whether to lift the immunity. Tymoshenko has denied all wrongdoing saying charges against her and her colleagues were politically motivated.
Smaller groups of opposition supporters have gathered every day this week in Kyiv’s main square, and about 300 turned out Thursday, shouting “Away with Kuchma!” Opposition leaders say they will conduct daily gatherings to build support for another large protest next week to demand Kuchma step down.
Kuchma, traveling in the southern city of Odesa, criticized the protests Thursday. “When they take to the streets with ultimatums, I cannot comprehend that,” his press service quoted him as saying. “But we all are learning democracy, and I am sure that everything in our house will be all right.”
