Ukrainian ex-PM refuses to wear prison robe, work while in detentionMarch 10, 2012 - 11:47 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Jailed former Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko has sent a letter to penitentiary officials saying she refuses to wear prison robe and work while in detention, RIA Novosti reported. Tymoshenko was convicted and sentenced to seven years in prison in October 2011 for overreaching her authority in signing a gas deal with Russia in 2009. The deal obliged Ukraine to buy larger amounts of gas than it now needs, and at higher prices than it says is fair. Ukraine has since consistently sought revision of the deal. “I refuse to comply with all prison regulations, including obligatory work, because I already have a job, I’m the chairman of the Batkyvshchina party,” she said. “I also refuse to wear a prison robe.” Inmates of the women’s jail in Kharkov where Tymoshenko is being held are allowed to wear casual clothes in their cells, but must put on blue prison robes while working at the jail’s garment factory. Head of Ukraine’s State Penitentiary Service, Oleksandr Lysytskov, said in late February that under the Ukrainian law, work in penal institutions "is provided for all inmates" except those who can’t work for reasons of age and health. The former prime minister, however, may be exempt from working in prison for medical reasons. Tymoshenko’s supporters claim her health has deteriorated since her pre-trial detention began in August 2011 and that she is no longer able to walk due to back problems. Tymoshenko is currently battling fresh charges of financial wrongdoing during her tenure as head of United Energy Systems of Ukraine in the 1990s. Top stories Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev arrived in Moscow on April 22 to hold talks with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin. Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". Partner news | Ucom Celebrates Telecommunication Day May 17 commemorates the founding of the International Telecommunication Union on May 17, 1865. Armenian, Azerbaijani heads of parliament meet in Switzerland President of the Armenian parliament Alen Simonyan met with the Speaker of the Azerbaijani Milli Majlis Sahiba Gafarova. Border residents overnight on highway to protest Armenia’s Residents of Kirants continue to express outrage over the government’s decision to cede land to Azerbaijan. Get Started: An educational platform for young startuppers The Get Started program which operates in two phases is an important platform for young startuppers. |