The conditions worsen Julia Tymoshenko. The heroine of the Orange Revolution, now leader of the Ukrainian opposition, has now been in prison for almost seven months. On the site of the "Homeland" party, her supporters have launched an appeal to the Kiev authorities to respect them the indications of the European Court of Human Rights, which asked for the former Ukrainian prime minister "qualified and multidisciplinary medical assistance".
Tymoshenko's party colleagues cite "well-informed sources", without however specifying how the deterioration of the former head of government is manifested, in prison since last August and sentenced in October 2011 to seven years in prison for abuse of office . Yesterday the Ukrainian prosecutor's office questioned the origin and severity of the bruises shown by Tymoshenko, arguing that his complaints about alleged violence suffered in prison are completely fabricated. In recent days, Tymoshenko had reported that she had been beaten and she went on hunger strike in protest.
Meanwhile, however, the case of the former prime minister becomes more complicated: Brussels insists on providing the woman with adequate care and possibly allowing her to be transferred to a specialized German clinic, but the Keivv authorities remain motionless.
The affair, which has already led to a slowdown in Ukraine's European integration process, is now casting a shadow over the European football championships starting next month in Ukraine and Poland. The German chancellor Angela Merkel, according to the weekly "Der Spiegel", he intends to boycott the sporting event if Tymoshenko is not released before kick-off. The German president, Joachim Gauck, has refused an official invitation to Ukraine, while the environment minister, Norbert Rottgen, told the newspaper "Bild" that European governments should boycott matches scheduled in Ukraine.
