'Don't forget Tymoshenko'
June 13, 2012
German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle made a call not to forget the opposition politician and former prime minister on Wednesday.
"I hope that … alongside all the enthusiasm for [football] the fate of … Yulia Tymoshenko and other jailed opposition members in Ukraine are not forgotten," he said in Berlin.
Ukraine and Poland are jointly hosting the European soccer championships. Germany and the Netherlands were facing off against each other in the opening round of the tournament on Wednesday evening.
"The Ukrainian hosts should know that European values are important to us all and that that's why we expect a fair trial and appropriate medical treatment for Ms. Tymoshenko," he added.
Tymoshenko is being treated by German doctors for a slipped disc. The German government had tried in vain to convince Ukraine to allow her to be sent to Berlin for medical care. She had refused to accept treatment from Ukrainian doctors.
Tymoshenko is sitting out a seven-year jail term for abuse of power during her term as Ukraine's premier. In the West, her trial and conviction were viewed as being politically motivated.
She faces a further trial at the end of June.
ncy/sej (dpa, Reuters, epd)