Canada Closely Monitoring Tymoshenko Trial

(Interfax-Ukraine) - Ottawa is closely monitoring the trial of former Ukrainian Prime Minister and Batkivschyna Party Leader Yulia Tymoshenko, Canadian Ambassador to Ukraine Daniel J. Caron has said.

“Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper has asked me to report every day about what is happening here [in the Pechersky District Court of Kyiv]. The [Canadian] foreign minister, as soon as morning comes in Ottawa, is waiting for my call with information about what is happening here,” the diplomat told reporters near the courthouse in Kyiv on September 12. Caron recalled that Canada was concerned about the situation with criminal cases opened against opposition members in Ukraine.

As reported, Rodion Kireyev, the judge of Kyiv’s Pechersky District Court presiding over the trial of Tymoshenko, on September 12 announced a break in the court hearings until 3 pm on September 27 to allow the defendant to properly prepare for the court debates and ensure her right to a defence.

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Canadian Ambassador to Ukraine Daniel J. Caron