The Russian human rights society Memorial has demanded a reversal of the sentence handed out to Ukraine's former prime minister Yulia Tymoshenko, who was sentenced by the Kyiv Pechersky Court last week to seven years in prison for exceeding her powers in the signing of the gas supply agreements with Russia in 2009.
"Memorial protests the use of judicial mechanisms for political goals and demands a reversal of the sentence and the release of Yulia Tymoshenko," Memorial said in a statement received by Interfax on Monday.
"The criminal prosecution of state political figures who are not in power for decisions made by them when they were in power requires courts to be especially cautious in determining the intent, evidence of a crime, damage, etc., and also in determining the punishment. Special attention should be given to the observance of the right to a fair trial," Memorial said in its statement.
"The information on the nature of the crime Yulia Tymoshenko was charged with, the cruelty and the ungrounded measure of restraint and sentence, numerous violations of the standards of a fair trial during these legal proceedings lead us to believe that the criminal prosecution in this case was politically motivated. The published sentence does not even contain a full description of the evidence of the crime Yulia Tymoshenko was charged with," Memorial said.
Memorial is a leading Russian NGO specializing on the rehabilitation of victims of Soviet repression.
