Statement by Oleksandr Tymoshenko on political asylum in the Czech Republic

On Jan. 6, 2012, by the decision of the Interior Ministry of the Czech Republic, I, Oleksandr Tymoshenko, was granted political asylum.

I was forced to leave Ukraine and ask for political asylum following enormous pressure and persecution carried out by the current Ukrainian
government – the authoritarian regime of President Yanukovych.

Several politicians – officials in the previous government – have been imprisoned in Ukraine on orders from President Yanukovych, on fabricated charges. In particular, without any guilt, my wife, Yulia Tymoshenko, a former prime minister and a presidential candidate, who fell only three percent short of defeating Yanukovych in the 2010 election, was sentenced to seven years in prison.

The government regime in Ukraine does not shy away from any dirty methods. They were not been able to break Yulia Tymoshenko either through intimidation, courts, imprisonment, or torture. So they resorted to more abominable means; they began pursuing me and other members of her family.

I do not want to provide Yanukovych with any additional leverage against the opposition and for me political asylum is the only way to achieve this goal.

I am truly grateful to EU Countries for their deep understanding of the situation in Ukraine, for having condemned the illegal detention and unfair sentencing of my wife, Yulia Tymoshenko, and other opposition politicians. I am grateful to the Czech Republic for its decision regarding me.

Today, I am also one of the politicians in opposition to Yanukovych who have been forced to leave our native country. But this is temporarily. I am sure that Ukraine’s people will not tolerate this dull, corrupt and authoritarian Yanukovych government. Once, during the Orange Revolution of 2004, Ukrainians ousted Yanukovych and they will soon do this again – once and for all.

Glory to Ukraine!

Oleksandr Tymoshenko