Ukraine court rejects attempt to remove opposition MP from parliament

A Kyiv court ruled on April 17 to dismiss a complaint filed against opposition MP Yuriy Odarchenko that asked that he be removed from parliament because of alleged conflicting business interests. In March, a Kyiv court ruled to remove another opposition MP, Serhiy Vlasenko, for alleged conflicting business interests. Vlasenko is the lead defense attorney for Yulia Tymoshenko, Ukraine’s imprisoned former prime minister.

Zenon Zawada: We believe this latest attempt to strip an opposition MP of his parliamentary mandate is part of a campaign to apply pressure to the opposition and intimidate its politicians. Of course, a ruling removing Odarchenko from parliament would have only dug Ukraine deeper in its hole with the EU. However, we expect the intimidation tactics to intensify as the March 2015 presidential election draws closer.