CANADA'S FOREIGN AFFAIRS COMMITTEE COMPLETES HEARINGS IN UKRAINE
May 29, 2012-Ottawa, Canada. — The delegation from the Canadian Parliament concluded five days of meetings (May 14-18) in Ukraine's capital, Kyiv as well as Kharkiv and L'viv.
Meetings were held with a broad spectrum of experts and monitors of the social, political, and economic and human rights situation in the country. Also, attending the meetings were representatives of the organized Ukrainian Canadian community including: Taras Zalusky, Executive Director, Ukrainian Canadian Congress; Bohdan Onyschuk, President, Canada Ukraine Foundation; and Borys Potapenko, Executive Director, League of Ukrainian Canadians.
The delegation heard a consistent message in Kyiv, in Eastern Ukraine and in Western Ukraine about the importance of this fall's Parliamentary elections in Ukraine and the importance of a strong international election observer presence as well as the importance of Canada supporting Ukraine's fledgling democracy and civil society groups in the face of increasingly authoritarian trends.
The visit began on Monday, May 14, 2012 with a session involving presentations by representatives, family members and attorneys of Yulia Tymoshenko, Yuri Lutsenko and Valeriy Ivashchenko. Evgenia Tymoshenko, daughter of the former Prime Minister, Iryna Lutsenko, wife of the former Interior Minister, and Valentyna Ivashchenko, wife of the former acting Defence Minister, discussed the circumstances surrounding the arrest, detention before and during trial, sentencing, and incarceration of their loved ones. They also expressed their concerns over the current circumstance and conditions of incarceration. In this regard, three key issues were raised: need for immediate medical attention, unconditional release from prison of these political prisoners and exoneration of all charges on which the convictions were based.
Presentations by representatives of Ukrainian government entities involved in these cases followed. Representatives of the Prosecutor General's Office of Ukraine; the Office of the Human Rights Ombudsperson at the Verkhovna Rada; the State Penitentiary Service of Ukraine; and the Ministry of Justice of Ukraine appeared next. Without providing opening statements, the session moved directly to questions from Canadian Members of Parliament and discussion surrounding the cases of the incarcerated former government officials. The Ukrainian representatives indicated that they were interested in the opinions and questions of the Canadian officials and that they would relay them to relevant officials. They also indicated that written responses would be provided to outstanding questions.
Following the morning sessions, the Canadian delegation held a working lunch with the Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Verkhovna Rada, Mr. Oleh Bilorus. The wide ranging discussion focused on issues ranging from Ukraine's geo-strategic importance, including Russia's intentions to impose its will on Ukraine, to the development of civil society and the fall elections to the Verkhovna Rada.
