Ukrainian opposition appeals to Strasbourg on latest violations

Opposition leaders said on June 12 they will file appeals with the European Court of Human Rights after their complaints of illegal state action were dismissed by local courts. Two opposition candidates in the electon in the town of Vasylkiv will appeal to Strasbourg after their claims of fraud committed by the ruling Party of Regions were rejected by Ukrainian courts. Meanwhile, Arseniy Yatsenyuk, the head of the Fatherland party, voiced support for a lawsuit being pursued by opposition MP Pavlo Baloha, who alleges he and another MP were illegally evicted from parliament for declining to join the majority. A Ukrainian appellate court rejected yesterday their appeal. “We believe that this should become a subject for review by the European Court of Human Rights and a harsh reaction from our European partners,” Yatsenyuk said.

Zenon Zawada: Arguments against the EU leadership signing the Association Agreement are accumulating with each passing day. If the issue isn’t about delaying elections (such as for the Kyiv City Council), then it’s about falsifying them altogether. The combination of all these alleged violations (in addition to big ones such as the imprisonment of the former prime minister) is slowly tipping the scales against the Association Agreement.