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European Court of Human Rights strikes former Ukrainian PM's case

Xinhua, January 23, 2015 Adjust font size:

The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) has voted on Thursday to strike from its caseload the application brought by former Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko against her home nation.

In a unanimous decision, the ECHR decided to discontinue examination of Tymoshenko's case against Ukraine, citing the former prime minister's agreement to the terms of a public declaration which, according to a court press release on Thursday, implied a friendly agreement between parties.

Tymoshenko, the prime minister in 2005 and between December 2007 and March 2010, had submitted two applications to the ECHR relating to criminal proceedings that were brought against her in April 2011, and which she claimed were in violation of the European Convention of Human Rights.

In May 2014, the Ukrainian government made a public declaration admitting Tymoshenko's prosecution had been politically motivated and in violation of her rights. Included was a list of measures to be taken to address the violations, along with a request for the case to be dismissed.

Tymoshenko informed the EHCR in June 2014 of her agreement to the terms of the declaration, which led to the decision made by the court's Chamber of seven.

The criminal charges, which included the abuse of power, stemmed from an agreement Tymoshenko made in 2009 with her Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, over natural gas imports following a dispute between their two countries over prices.

For her part in the agreement, Tymoshenko was sentenced by a Ukrainian court to seven years imprisonment, with a three year ban from public office. She was released in February 2014.

Tymoshenko, born in 1960, was the first woman appointed as Prime Minister of Ukraine. She is currently the leader of the All-Ukrainian Union "Fatherland" party. Endit