http://www.change.org/en-GB/petitions/members-of-the-european-parliament-stop-yulia-tymoshenko-from-the-ukranian-presidency-2014-eu-shouldn-t-support-yulia-tymoshenko?recruiter=97901555&utm_campaign=mailto_link&utm_medium=email&utm_source=share_petition

Honourable MEP,

I am writing to you in an effort to bring to your attention the unsuitability of Ms Yulia Tymoshenko to exercise political power in Ukraine. Your position as an MEP allows you to bring the issue to the European Parliament, influence the course of action of the European Commission and attract significant media attention to the matter at hand. It is therefore imperative that you and your colleagues put an end to the unacceptable practice of EU support for Ms Tymoshenko’s cause, which is in stark contrast to the principles and ideals which the EU aspires to uphold internationally: peace, the rule of law, respect for human rights, good governance and free market principles.

Ms Tymoshenko’s ‘eventful’ political and entrepreneurial career has been well documented by a variety of sources, ranging from the leadership of Ukraine’s judiciary and head prosecutors to foreign legal firms and financial institutions. The relevant documents, retrieved from a variety of sources, are readily available at www.transparencyreport.org.

A short list of crimes to which Ms Yulia Tymoshenko has been personally linked so far includes:

• Abuse of power in the 2009 ‘Gas Deal’ between Russia and Ukraine –convicted
• Large-scale embezzlement of public property, forgery and tax evasion in the ‘UESU’ case in 2001 –case dropped anew in February 2014, after the new balance of power had been established in Kyiv
• Misuse of public finances in 2009 (“ambulances for rural medicine” and “Kyoto money”) –case suspended
• Concealment of currency proceeds (approximately €120,000,000) –case dismissed due to decriminalisation in 2012
• Intent to bribe Supreme Court judges in 2003 –case closed in 2004, video evidence deemed inadequate
• Involvement in the 1996 murder of oligarch Yevhen Shcherban in Donetsk –case pending

Ms Tymoshenko has claimed that she is a victim of political persecution and that her indictment and subsequent incarceration were in violation of internationally recognized human rights and the rule of law. Unquestionably, any ill treatment she may have suffered and the irregularities witnessed in the trial process that led to her conviction (ostensibly inherent in the legal system of a young, underdeveloped democracy) are deplorable and the EU’s concern over such claims perfectly justified. However, even the concurrent decision issued by the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) in 2013 (Tymoshenko v. Ukraine) does not seek to uphold claims against the subject matter of Ms Tymoshenko’s conviction and the pending prosecutions. On the contrary, the most important facts of these cases have been exhaustively investigated by US law firms acting as auditors. Regardless, verification of the allegations against or for Ms Tymoshenko remains within the jurisdiction of the only competent legal chamber: the ECHR. Therefore, EU support for Ms Yulia Tymoshenko’s cause is entirely unfounded and out of scope for both the EU and Ukraine.

In the midst of the destruction, loss of sovereignty and bloodshed that Ms Tymoshenko’s past endeavours have facilitated, her divisive attitude and influence exerted from a mastermind’s standpoint in Ukrainian politics appear to be inciting further violence and destruction in her homeland, going as far as threatening her political opponents with outright civil war. She even had the audacity to lie again recently: her lawyer in London explicitly stated that she has neither bank accounts nor assets outside Ukraine, a claim summarily disproven by the documents attached herewith.

The already destabilized political situation in Ukraine, the intervention of Russian armed forces in Crimea and the involvement of EU and US officials in the struggle for political influence in Eastern Europe and the Black Sea have created an extremely dangerous situation right outside our shared borders. Meanwhile, the unsettling European election results and relevant Eurobarometer figures indicate that the EU is indeed facing the danger of implosion. As evidenced by the handling of the recent financial crisis, where the EU came perilously close to dissolution, any additional strain to the already fragile structure of the EU may have unpredictable consequences. Therefore, further entrenching the idea of an unfair, corrupt, distant European leadership, while risking severe hardship for EU citizens due to increased tensions between Europe and Russia, does not appear to be a sensible course of action.

In short, official EU endorsement of Ms Yulia Tymoshenko’s claims, allies and agenda constitutes a blatant infringement of the sovereignty and self-determination of the Ukrainian nation; a cause of further volatility and violence in the already wounded state; yet another a destabilizing factor for EU affairs; utter disregard for the jurisdiction of the ECHR; and a travesty for the core principles of the EU. It should be obvious by now that Ms Tymoshenko is entirely unfit to lead Ukraine towards EU accession, as she is being driven by an insatiable thirst for personal gain and political power, typical for a member of the kleptocracy that has dominated her country since the fall of the Iron Curtain. I would therefore like to urge you to bring the matter to the attention of the European Parliament, the only democratically elected institution of the EU, in order to promote the actual interests of the people of Europe and the EU itself, as well as those of our neighbours.

Thank you very much indeed for taking the time to read this letter. I sincerely hope that your new term as an MEP will signal a significant change for the way that European politics function and an improvement to living standards throughout our continent. Were you to start working on this case, please do not hesitate to contact me for any additional information you may require.