Judge Rodion Kireyev has denied the defense request to set a schedule for the trial and add 30 minutes to the lunch break, according to the Official web site of Yulia Tymoshenko.
“There is a schedule for the facility where this trial is being held. Why must the employees work overtime? We are drawing the court’s attention to these violations and demand that a normal work schedule be established. Because of lack of time we have been denied the right to become acquainted with the case file and speak with our client one-on-one,” defense lawyer Oleksandr Plakhotnyuk said.
“The court must set a schedule so that all sides know when the sessions start and end, without violating the labor code. Nobody did away with the 8-hour work days, but we’re working 10 hours,” said Oleksandr Plakhotyuk.
The judge interrupted him and accused him of delaying the trial. “You have already expressed your opinion on this matter,” the judge said, giving the floor to defense lawyer Mykola Siryi.
Mykola Siryi asked the court to give Yulia Tymoshenko an additional 30 minutes during the lunch break to meet with a chaplain to guarantee the defendant’s right to freedom of religion.
The judge began announcing his decision without giving Yulia Tymoshenko the opportunity to speak about the petition. “You didn’t let me speak, you forgot to give me the right to express my opinion regarding this petition!”
The judge replied that the defense had adequate time to speak regarding the request and announced his decision, which outraged Yulia Tymoshenko and her lawyers. “This is unprecedented. You are a criminal and law breaker. You are an immoral and dishonest person that has trampled the Constitution and human rights, you are mocking justice in this courtroom. Kireyev, you aren’t complying with any laws, the Constitution or Criminal Procedure Code. You are carrying out political repression,” Yulia Tymoshenko said to the judge.
In response to her attempt to make a statement calling for the judge’s disqualification, Kireyev told her to “stand while speaking.”
The judge then threatened to remove Yulia Tymoshenko from the courtroom. “Your statements have become banal. This is an attempt to disrupt the proceedings. The defendant and her lawyers are committing actions aimed at disrupting the proceedings with unprecedented statements,” he said.
