Ukrainian parliament again stalls ex-PM Tymoshenko release vote

PanARMENIAN.Net - The Ukrainian parliament has again stalled a vote on the release of jailed ex-Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko, demanded by the European Union as a key condition for signing a landmark integration deal with Ukraine, The Associated Press reported.

Parliament speaker Volodymyr Rybak said that the bill would not be put to a vote during the morning session. The opposition kept pushing for a vote on either Tuesday, November 20 or Thursday.

Tymoshenko, a top rival of president Viktor Yanukovych, is serving a seven-year prison sentence on charges the West calls political. The EU is refusing to sign the association agreement with Ukraine if she remains in jail.

As a compromise, the EU has asked Ukraine's parliament, dominated by Yanukovych allies, to pass a law allowing her release for a medical treatment in Germany.