Parliament rejects attempts to free Tymoshenko

Ukraine’s parliamentary opposition failed to collect enough votes on Jan. 11 to support legislation that would decriminalize the statutes for which opposition leaders Yulia Tymoshenko and Yuriy Lutsenko were convicted and imprisoned. Parliament also failed to support accompanying legislation that would have granted them amnesty, enabling them to participate in Ukrainian politics, including the 2015 presidential vote, as demanded by European Union leaders. These leaders have repeatedly stated that releasing former Prime Minister Tymoshenko and former Internal Affairs Minister Lutsenko – as well as allowing them to return to political life – is a key prerequisite for signing the Ukraine-EU Association Agreement this year.

Zenon Zawada: This latest legislative effort by the opposition was a political gambit, which was geared towards making a political statement given that its leaders hadn’t reached any agreement with the ruling Party of Regions ahead of the vote. All the necessary accommodations will be made for their release should the political will arise from President Viktor Yanukovych. The question is only if and when.