Time for Serious Sanctions Against Ukraine

By Walter Derzko

I’ve written about the need for the West to seriously consider imposing targeted visa sanctions and asset freezes against Yankovych’s regime in the past. Events in the past two weeks have strengthened the case against the imposition of such harsh measures against the Ukrainian regime. Yanukovych dismissed the unanimous criticism from the West immediately after the sentencing of Yulia Tymoshenko on October 11, 2011 as a Western plot. World leaders are unfairly ganging up on Ukraine, he says.

The following is a list of reasons why the West should get serious about imposing sanctions, from a briefing paper that was developed by the Strategic Foresight Institute Think Tank project. It was sent to Ukrainian community leaders and politicians before the Shevchenko Medal Tribute Dinner to Prime Minister Stephen Harper, and the Canadian parliamentary debate and committee hearing on Ukraine in Ottawa last week. We are grateful to Dr. Taras Kuzio and Lesya Shymko and other politicians for citing some of our concerns in their testimony before Parliament.

Points for Sanctions

1.0 Ukraine illegally employs children in coal mining operations in Dontesk. Canada signed the UN Convention on Child Abuse and Children’s Rights and takes a dim view such abuse. Child labour is an open secret in Donbas, and the Ukrainian government tacitly condones and profits from it. A 15 year old boy appears in an award winning documentary produced by a Baltic film company called “Pit Number Eight.” (www.pitnumber8.com/) A short trailer with English subtitles can be viewed at (www.youtube.com/watch?v=C-sfAoSwJfg). A six minute teaser from the full-length film tells the story in the hub of the Ukrainian illegal mining business where teenage boys want to own mines while girls dream of mine owners as potential mates: www.youtube.com/watch?v=GhmeJ2Wtc8k The full film at 1 hour 38 minutes can be viewed at www.youtube.com/watch?v=h6qEGCGNrhQ&feature=related This film alone provides concrete evidence for the European Union to impose sanctions against the Ukrainian coal industry and against Viktor Yanukovych, Renat Akhmetov and Yuri Ivanyushchenko, who directly profit from this illegal underage child labour.

2.0 The opposition calls for sanctions. Canada has a precedent to follow. Germany imposed visa sanctions against 14 Ukrainian businessmen on October 12, 2011, right after Tymoshenko supporters called on the EU to impose sanctions against Yanukovych. This sent shock waves through business circles from Kyiv to Donetsk.  “Ukraine must not pay for the kleptomaniac and dictatorial habits of the incumbent President. Personal sanctions must be imposed against Yanukovych and the key political figures who are propping up the regime, as well as perpetrators of their criminal orders. This whole group of individuals and their family members should be barred from the countries of the Euro-Atlantic community,” the statement said. The foreign bank accounts of the Yanukovych family, his entourage and affiliated companies should be frozen, the Fatherland Party said.

3.0 Tymoshenko was denied the right to a proper, fair defence and a host of other guaranteed constitutional rights. It should be mentioned that Yanukovych’s non-action and denial of responsibility in principle constitutes an impeachable offence, as he has failed to fulfill his constitutional duties as President and as guarantor of the Constitution.

4.0 Besides Tymoshenko, there are at least 125 innocent political prisoners and repressed people in Ukraine in 2011.

5.0 Over 800 innocent people have died in pre-trial detention so far this year in Ukraine.

6.0 Yulia Tymoshenko and Yuriy Lutsenko and thousands of others in pre-trial detention are routinely denied basic human rights by being refused proper, independent, medical attention.

7.0 Only 0.2 % (or 2 in 1000) of the people that are indicted by the prosecution in Ukraine are found not guilty and are set free. The average in the EU is over 40%. (Helsinki Danish Human Rights Watch)

8.0 Over 200,000 small and medium sized enterprises have been forced to close in 2011 due to selective tax enforcement, bribes and intimidation.

9.0 Hundreds of ordinary Ukrainian people lose their jobs every time they attend street demonstrations across Ukraine.

10.0 Thousands of oppositionists and students are routinely questioned, intimidated and harassed by corrupt police and SBU.

11.0 The Ukrainian political opposition on Wednesday, October 12, 2011 formally approached the Canadian Ambassador to Ukraine asking that Canada impose visa sanctions and asset freezes on the Party of Regions and the Yanukovych regime.

12.0 The Ukrainian Congress Committee of America has urged the US Congress to impose visa sanctions against Ukrainian government representatives. (October 12, 2011)

13.0 Current and former MP’s from all three Canadian political parties call on Canada to impose harsh measures including visa sanctions against the Ukrainian regime during a demonstration in Toronto in front of the Ukrainian Consulate, only hours after Tymoshenko was sentenced.

14.0 The “Lifestyles of the Rich and Infamous” - while over 40% of the Ukrainian population lives below or close to the poverty line, the costs of supporting the lavish lifestyle of President Yanukovych costs the Ukrainian taxpayer over $220,000 per day.