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Human Rights Issues

Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 19 November 2013

Tuesday, 19 November 2013

Questions (154)

Bernard Durkan

Question:

154. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the extent to which the international community continues to engage with Yulia Tymoshenko in the context of the need for observation of her entitlement to basic human rights; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [49549/13]

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Written answers

I am on record in Dáil Éireann expressing concern over the ongoing detention of the former Prime Minister of Ukraine, Yulia Tymoshenko and refer the Deputy to my statement to this House of 2 October last. As the Deputy will recall, I raised the matter with Ukraine’s Foreign Minister during our bilateral meeting on 27 September on the margins of the UN General Assembly in New York. The issue was also raised at an informal ministerial level breakfast meeting between members of the Council and Ukraine which I attended before the FAC last month.The European Parliament’s monitoring mission to Ukraine, which is led by the former President of Poland, Aleksander Kwaœniewski, and the former President of the European Parliament, Pat Cox, has also been engaging actively with the Ukrainian authorities to resolve all areas where the EU has expressed concern, including the area of selective justice. The mission has met with Ms Tymoshenko in hospital in Kharkiv more than a dozen times over the past 17 months. I wish to commend the mission for the conscientious and professional manner in which it has performed its important task and to reaffirm Ireland’s full support for its work. On 4 October, the monitoring mission made a public appeal to the President of Ukraine, Viktor Yanukovych, to release Ms Tymoshenko for medical treatment on health and humanitarian grounds by way of pardon. Germany has publicly stated that it would be ready to host Ms Tymoshenko for such treatment. I support their appeal. However, President Yanukovych has indicated a preference for the alternative path of a special law, to be agreed in the Ukrainian parliament, which would permit treatment abroad of convicted persons on health and humanitarian grounds, including Ms Tymoshenko.

Unfortunately, and as the monitoring mission reported to the European Parliament’s Conference of Presidents on 13 November, the Ukrainian parliament has been unable to reach agreement to date on a draft law or formula that would permit Ms Tymoshenko to leave Ukraine for medical treatment. While the monitoring mission has expressed the view that it would be premature to conclude that there has been compliance with the conditions set, it believes that the outstanding issues can be resolved with the necessary political will. The mandate of the mission has been further extended until the Vilnius Summit and it is scheduled to return to Ukraine this week.

Question No. 155 answered with Question No. 140.
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