Courtroom antics

Supporters of former Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko took to the streets of Kyiv on Saturday in order to protest her arrest for contempt of court in a corruption trial that opposition activists believe is politically motivated.

A Kyiv court ordered Tymoshenko detained for "systematically" disrupting court room proceedings on Friday. The former prime minister and heroine of the 2004 Orange Revolution, which brought an ultimately doomed pro-Western government to power, currently faces charges of illegally forcing the state-owned Naftogaz to sign a gas supply contract with Russia in 2009.

Tymoshenko claims that the trial is an attempt by her bitter political rival, President Viktor Yanukovych, to silence the opposition. She ran against Yanukovych in the 2010 presidential elections and lost.

At least 100 supporters of Tymoshenko pitched around 30 tents in Kyiv's Kreshchatyk Avenue where they have vowed to stay until she is released.

One of Tymoshenko's top aides, Olexandr Turchynov, warned that the trial's proceedings could lead to a repeat of the Orange Revolution, saying that "already in September, Ukraine could have a true government of the people."

Europe concerned

European leaders, meanwhile, have reacted to Tymoshenko's arrest with concern and have questioned Ukraine's commitment to its bilateral agreements under the Eastern Partnership, a deal with the EU that covers aid, trade and cultural ties.

"The context and conditions raise concern about the politically motivated nature of this decision, and about the application of the rule of law in Ukraine," EU parliament president and former Polish Prime Minister Jerzy Buzek said.

EU foreign affairs chief Catherin Ashton and Enlargement Commissioner Stefan Füle called on Kyiv to make good on its commitment to basic human rights.

"We urge Ukraine to uphold the principles and common values that form the core of the Eastern Partnership," they said in a joint statement.

Author: Spencer Kimball (AFP, Reuters)

Editor: Sean Sinico