“ECHR has normally been very careful not to recognize that cases could be political motivated. So this decision is a slam in the face of the Yanokovych regime. As a committed member of Council of Europe Yulia Tymoshenko should be immediately released to obey this court decision. But is it the wish of the Regime to be dedicated and live up to their commitments?
The best that could happen was that this could serve as an excuse for the Government to obey the court ruling and annul the imprisonment, thereby shoving that they really want the Association Agreement,” said Hanne Severinsen in her comment to The Ukrainian Week.
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“The ECHR decision adds oil to the fire vis-à-vis the signature of Ukraine’s Association Agreement with the EU. There are two outcomes. Either Ukraine will take the necessary steps to fully end selective justice which would open the road to signing Association Agreement or it will not and the Agreement will remain on the shelf with relations between the two partners further deteriorating. This would be lose-lose for both partners and moreover, for Ukraine’s long-suffering population,” added Amanda Paul, from the European Policy Centre.
