Former Prime Minister of Ukraine Yulia Tymoshenko, who was wrongly sentenced to seven years in jail on fabricated charges, is continuing her campaign of civil disobedience in the Kharkiv hospital where she is undergoing treatment, according to an Official web site of Yulia Tymoshenko.
"Yulia Tymoshenko continues her campaign of civil disobedience. She categorically refuses to go inside the prison hospital room where there are still three surveillance cameras and where guards are at her side round-the-clock. She hasn’t let them search her in three days – neither a personal search nor a search of her things. Yulia Tymoshenko is showing that you can fight for your rights," lawyer Oleksandr Plakhotnyuk said.
The lawyer said that prison security guards follow Yulia Tymoshenko all day. "A guard is by her all night. The same when she eats and during treatment. There is always someone next to her," he added.
Oleksandr Plakhotnyuk stressed that Yulia Tymoshenko has not refused medical treatment. "But these procedures are impossible under the conditions they have created. Medical procedures can’t be carried out in the hallway or under the watchful eye of guards and video cameras, with men sitting behind the monitors watching. They watch her when she sleeps, when she showers, when she eats, etc. These gross violations still haven’t been addressed," the lawyer emphasized.
He said that statements by the penitentiary service that they are providing proper conditions for Yulia Tymoshenko’s treatment are not true. "Instead of removing the video cameras, the penitentiary service suggested that she rest on a metal couch by the toilet in the shower room. Yulia Tymoshenko didn’t sleep for two days," he said.
"Yulia Tymoshenko is the only person in Ukraine serving a sentence that is under such video surveillance, escort and supervision. This is illegal. She’s not asking for special treatment, she’s asking that the law be respected, not only for her but for all citizens of Ukraine," Oleksandr Plakhotnyuk added.
