Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 16 May 2013
80. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the current position in the aftermath of any recent court decisions in the case of a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23612/13]
Amharc ar fhreagraI assume the Deputy is referring to the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) judgement on 30 April 2013 that the former Prime Minister of Ukraine, Ms. Yulia Tymoshenko, had been unlawfully detained. High Representative Catherine Ashton and Commissioner Stefan Füle issued a joint statement in response to this judgement, which urged the Ukrainian authorities to reconsider Ms Tymoshenko’s detention and to implement fully all judgments of the ECHR. The statement also encouraged the Ukrainian authorities to work closely with the European Parliament’s monitoring mission to Ukraine headed by former president of the European Parliament Cox and former president of Poland Kwaniewski with a view to redressing the effects of the current situation and removing outstanding concerns regarding selective justice in Ukraine. I fully support this statement. The EU maintains its position, as set out in the Conclusions of the 10 December 2012 Foreign Affairs Council and in the joint statement of the EU-Ukraine Summit of 25 February 2013, that Ukraine must address the issue of ‘selective justice’ in a determined manner. In this context, the release last month of former Interior Minister Yuriy Lutsenko and another imprisoned former Minister represents an important step by the Ukrainian authorities towards addressing the concern about selective justice that the EU has repeatedly expressed. Ukraine must address this issue convincingly if progress is to be made towards signature of the Association Agreement at the Eastern Partnership Summit in Vilnius in November. We would very much like to see further steps taken that would make signature of the Association Agreement possible.
