Prosecutor general allows former Prime Minister Tymoshenko to leave Ukraine

Ukraine’s prosecutor general announced yesterday that it would allow former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko to attend a summit of the European People’s Party in Brussels on March 23-25 and an international forum on strengthening democracy in Lithuania on June 30, according to Interfax. The prosecutor’s office had previously denied Tymoshenko the right to visit Brussels in January and February to meet with European politicians. Tymoshenko is facing two criminal investigations into alleged abuse of office when she was prime minister in 2007-2010. She denies the allegations and claims the investigations are part of a systematic crackdown against the opposition in Ukraine. International organizations and foreign governments have in recent months expressed concern about political prosecution in Ukraine.