Ukrainian judge upholds order to detain ex-Prime Minister Tymoshenko

Yesterday Pechersk District Court Judge Rodion Kireyev upheld his order from last Friday to detain ex-Prime Minister and opposition leader Yulia Tymoshenko for contempt of court and berating witnesses, following an incident in the courtroom with rival and current Prime Minister Mykola Azarov. Tymoshenko’s trial is widely derided as politically motivated – she is charged with illegally striking an agreement with Russia in 2009, which halted a 13-day cut off in the flow of gas to Southeastern Europe. Brad Wells: Now that Tymoshenko has been jailed, we believe her release is unlikely until the court proceedings are completed and only then is dependent on the outcome – as the government will seek to avoid the appearance of capitulation to its main rival. Several hundred protestors turned out outside the courtroom yesterday, defying a court order banning their right to assemble there, according to our calculations. Ukraine’s opposition parties, well known for their disunity, have suddenly found common ground behind Tymoshenko; nine political parties, including Arseniy Yatseniuk’s Front of Change, Tymoshenko’s own Batkivshchyna and Nasha Ukraina, signed a joint statement today against the current government and political repression. Opposition leaders are calling for a protest on Ukraine’s Independence Day, August 24.