YULIA TYMOSHENKO is expected to end her hunger strike and go into hospital today, amid growing anger among Ukraine’s leaders at international criticism of how it is treating the jailed former prime minister.
The withdrawal of several EU presidents from a planned summit in Yalta this week prompted Ukraine to cancel the event yesterday, rather than face embarrassment at the lack of guests and from public pep talks on the case by those that did attend. The EU and US say the jailing of Tymoshenko for seven years for abuse of office was politically motivated, and European leaders are considering boycotting next month’s Euro 2012 football matches in Ukraine in protest at the case and her treatment.
She has been on hunger strike for 19 days, since prison guards allegedly punched her in the stomach and dragged her from bed to go to a clinic. Following pressure from Berlin, German doctors will now be allowed to treat Tymoshenko (51) at a hospital near her prison in Kharkiv. Ukraine host Germany, the Netherlands, Portugal and Denmark next month while Ireland will play in the other host country, Poland.
Tymoshenko’s daughter Yevgenia said her mother would go to a clinic today, where a German doctor would “take her off her hunger strike, and this will take from 10-14 days.” Tymoshenko was now too weak to start therapy for a back problem, however.
“It is impossible to start treatment immediately because of the hunger strike,” her daughter said, adding her mother hoped the dispute over her case would be resolved before Euro 2012 started on June 8th. “The situation has reached a critical breaking point now and we hope the games will take place in a sporting atmosphere and not an atmosphere of political crisis,” she quoted her mother as saying.
After at least 10 EU leaders pulled out, Ukraine postponed the event. Polish president Bronislaw Komorowski had planned to urge Ukraine to make legal changes to allow Tymoshenko to be freed.
