This article is from the source 'rtcom' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.rt.com/russia/526600-medvedchuk-complaint-europe-civil-liberties-court/
The article has changed 3 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 0 | Version 1 |
|---|---|
| Ukrainian opposition leader Medvedchuk lodges complaint in European Court of Human Rights as Kiev’s political crackdown continues | Ukrainian opposition leader Medvedchuk lodges complaint in European Court of Human Rights as Kiev’s political crackdown continues |
| (2 months later) | |
| Viktor Medvedchuk, the leader of Ukraine’s largest opposition party, has lodged an appeal with Europe’s top civil liberties court over what he claims is a politically motivated effort by Kiev prosecutors to land him behind bars. | Viktor Medvedchuk, the leader of Ukraine’s largest opposition party, has lodged an appeal with Europe’s top civil liberties court over what he claims is a politically motivated effort by Kiev prosecutors to land him behind bars. |
| A statement issued by one of his party’s MPs, Renat Kuzmin, set out the grounds for the appeal to the European Court of Human Rights on Tuesday. Kuzmin, who served as the country’s first deputy prosecutor general prior to the 2014 Maidan revolution, explained that Medvedchuk believes the charges are of a political nature, and claimed that officials are “violating his right to a fair trial, and of liberty and personal security.” | A statement issued by one of his party’s MPs, Renat Kuzmin, set out the grounds for the appeal to the European Court of Human Rights on Tuesday. Kuzmin, who served as the country’s first deputy prosecutor general prior to the 2014 Maidan revolution, explained that Medvedchuk believes the charges are of a political nature, and claimed that officials are “violating his right to a fair trial, and of liberty and personal security.” |
| The politician added that the legal bid can be considered by the court as a priority issue, and that a decision could be given relatively quickly. Medvedchuk is currently under house arrest while prosecutors prepare a case against him for “high treason.” While details are yet to be made public, it is believed they are linked to alleged business interests in Crimea, which was reabsorbed by Russia in 2014. | The politician added that the legal bid can be considered by the court as a priority issue, and that a decision could be given relatively quickly. Medvedchuk is currently under house arrest while prosecutors prepare a case against him for “high treason.” While details are yet to be made public, it is believed they are linked to alleged business interests in Crimea, which was reabsorbed by Russia in 2014. |
| Medvedchuk’s party, Opposition Platform – for Life, draws much of its support from Russian speakers in the east and south of the country, and has advocated a less confrontational approach to Moscow than the one pursued by authorities in Kiev since the Maidan. However, he has rejected claims from nationalist politicians that he is tied to a pro-Kremlin agenda and insisting he represents a legitimate segment of the Ukrainian population, saying that he would “completely throw out accusations of so-called pro-Russianness... Our party received millions of votes of confidence during the last elections.” | Medvedchuk’s party, Opposition Platform – for Life, draws much of its support from Russian speakers in the east and south of the country, and has advocated a less confrontational approach to Moscow than the one pursued by authorities in Kiev since the Maidan. However, he has rejected claims from nationalist politicians that he is tied to a pro-Kremlin agenda and insisting he represents a legitimate segment of the Ukrainian population, saying that he would “completely throw out accusations of so-called pro-Russianness... Our party received millions of votes of confidence during the last elections.” |
| READ MORE: Ukrainian opposition leader facing treason charges denies he's ‘pro-Russia’ – insisting he represents millions of ordinary voters | READ MORE: Ukrainian opposition leader facing treason charges denies he's ‘pro-Russia’ – insisting he represents millions of ordinary voters |
| In an exclusive interview in February, the opposition leader told RT that political prosecution for “crimes like treason and espionage is commonplace” in Ukraine, but said he would not consider fleeing the country. “I feel like I’m ready to fight – to fight against arbitrariness, against repression, against falsification… I am prepared to stand up to these threats,” he said. | In an exclusive interview in February, the opposition leader told RT that political prosecution for “crimes like treason and espionage is commonplace” in Ukraine, but said he would not consider fleeing the country. “I feel like I’m ready to fight – to fight against arbitrariness, against repression, against falsification… I am prepared to stand up to these threats,” he said. |
| If convicted of the crimes that Ukraine’s prosecutors are seeking to pin on him, the opposition leader could face up to 15 years in one of the country’s prisons. | If convicted of the crimes that Ukraine’s prosecutors are seeking to pin on him, the opposition leader could face up to 15 years in one of the country’s prisons. |
| Like this story? Share it with a friend! | Like this story? Share it with a friend! |
| Dear readers and commenters, | |
| We have implemented a new engine for our comment section. We hope the transition goes smoothly for all of you. Unfortunately, the comments made before the change have been lost due to a technical problem. We are working on restoring them, and hoping to see you fill up the comment section with new ones. You should still be able to log in to comment using your social-media profiles, but if you signed up under an RT profile before, you are invited to create a new profile with the new commenting system. | |
| Sorry for the inconvenience, and looking forward to your future comments, | |
| RT Team. |