Ukraine and Germany are in talks on jailed former Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko treatment in one of Berlin clinics, Ukrainian media reported on Sunday, quoting German news agency DPA.
“German government conducts negotiation with Ukrainian government on possible treatment of Tymoshenko in Germany,” reported Ukrainian news agency Ukrinform.
A source in Berlin Clinic Charite confirmed DPA agency information about the talks.
“Our clinic and Ukrainian side conduct negotiations on this issue,” DPA wrote.
Last Friday, First Deputy Prosecutor General of Ukraine, Renat Kuzmin, said in his interview to the state agency Ukrinform that the Ukrainian government was considering the possibility of treatment of former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko in Germany.
According to the State Penitentiary Service of Ukraine, Tymoshenko has repeatedly refused to undergo treatment in the prisony colony where she is serving her sentence. Lawyers of former prime minister say that Tymoshenko cannot to be treated in the colony because she needs treatment at a specialized medical clinic recommended by a group of German doctors who examined her.
Supporters of the jailed politician claim that Tymoshenko’s health has deteriorated since she was put into pretrial detention in August 2011 and that she is no longer able to walk due to back problems.
In October 2011, Tymoshenko was sentenced to seven years in prison on charges of abuse of office, for exceeding her authority in signing a 2009 gas deal with Russia. Her trial was condemned by both the European Union and Russia as politically motivated. She is currently serving her sentence in a women’s prison near Ukraine's second largest city, Kharkov.
