European Leaders Call for Euro 2012 Boycott
European Leaders Call for Euro 2012 Boycott
May 2, 2012
Jose Manuel Barroso is president of the European Commission, the EU’s executive branch. (Getty Images)
(WFI) The most powerful officeholder in the EU will boycott Euro 2012, and German chancellor Angela Merkel may soon follow suit.
The president of the European Commission, the EU’s executive branch, turned down an invitation to the July 1 final in Kyiv because of Ukraine’s human rights record, according to CNN.
“The president has decided that for the time being and in the present circumstances he doesn’t want to travel to or attend any events in Ukraine,” a spokeswoman for Jose Manuel Barroso said, confirming his snub is over treatment of the country’s former prime minister.
Yulia Tymoshenko, 51, is six months into a seven-year jail sentence for alleged abuse of office and more than a week into a self-imposed hunger strike, according to her daughter Yevgenia.
Photos also surfaced last week showing Tymoshenko covered in bruises she claims were caused by her prison guards.
EU Justice Commissioner Viviane Reding is also skipping the UEFA showpiece, and Merkel will reportedly do likewise unless Tymoshenko is released. Dutch government officials and the royal family also said on Tuesday that they may boycott Ukraine during Euro 2012 if Tymoshenko’s treatment does not improve.
Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton joined EU leaders in condemning Ukraine’s actions, saying she was “deeply concerned by the treatment” of the 2004 Orange Revolution leader. Clinton is calling for the release of Tymoshenko.
Yulia Tymoshenko (right) is pictured here with UEFA president Michel Platini in 2009. (Getty)
Whether developments in the meantime will cause UEFA to change its tune ahead of the June 8 kickoff in Warsaw, Poland remains to be seen.
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