KHARKIV - Former Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko will not ask President Viktor Yanukovych to pardon her, her defense lawyer, Serhiy Vlasenko, has said.
"I stress once again, and he [Yanukovych] recognized this himself, that the trial of Tymoshenko has nothing to do with justice according to European standards, so Tymoshenko will not file any applications for a pardon. She did not commit the crimes she was charged with," he told reporters outside the Kachanivska penal colony in Kharkiv, where Tymoshenko is imprisoned.
Vlasenko also said that Tymoshenko had been outraged by the "cynicism" of Yanukovych’s statements.
As reported, on Feb. 24, Yanukovych said in an interview with three national television channels that Tymoshenko’s pardon procedure could be launched after the completion of her trial and if the ex-premier files a respective application to the president. Yanukovych also recognized that the cases of Tymoshenko and other former officials were not considered in compliance with European standards.
