Letter to The Honorbale Viktor F. Yanukovich, President of Ukraine

Letter

Mr. President:

We write to express our grave concern with the recent conviction and sentencing of the former Prime Minister of Ukraine, Yulia T. Tymoshenko and respectfully ask for her immediate release.

The charges brought against Ms. Tymoshenko and her conviction represent a step backward for Ukrainian democracy. She was sentenced to seven years in jail for negotiating a natural gas deal with Russia that was done in her official capacity as prime minister at that time. Leading international organizations such as Amnesty International and the Danish Helsinki Committee for Human Rights have called her for immediate release and raised serious questions about the legality of the charges brought against her.

We strongly object to this politically motivated decision that undermines the rule of law and international standards for a transparent judicial process. We respectfully urge you to immediately release former Prime Minister Tymoshenko, and to reinstate her full citizenship rights and the right to run for public office.

Sincerely,

Dennis J. Kucinich
John Shimkus
John Conyers, Jr.
Sander M. Levin
Daniel Lipinski
Dan Burton
Eliot L. Engel
Bob Filner
Janice D. Schakowsky