LEAD: Ukraine’s Tymoshenko to be treated by German
Berlin/Kyiv (dpa) – Yulia Tymoshenko, the Ukraine opposition
leader who has been on a prison hunger strike for two weeks, Friday
was examined by German physicians and has agreed to allow a German
medical team to examine her next week.
Tymoshenko‘s condition has prompted concern among the
international community with Sweden‘s prime minister joining Friday
the growing boycott of the Euro 2012 games, which Ukraine is
co-hosting with Poland.
Karl Max Einhaeupl, the head of Berlin‘s Charite Clinic, and the
German orthopaedic surgeon Norbert Haas examined Tymoshenko in the
prison in Kharkiv, some 410 kilometres east of the
capital Kyiv, according to Ukraine media.
Ukrainian doctors as well as German diplomats were present at the
procedure.
The 51-year-old politician suffers a longstanding back injury. She
began a hunger strike in late April to protest injuries
allegedly inflicted on her by jailers during a transfer outside the
prison for treatment of the problem. She is reportedly
unable to walk without assistance.
Meanwhile, her daughter said Tymoshenko‘s condition had worsened
in recent days. Ukrainian authorities said they would not rule out
force-feeding her.
Her situation has become the object of protest by European
officials, who are boycotting meetings in Ukraine and the venues it
is providing for the Euro 2012 games in June. Some of the venues will
be in Poland, which has not been singled out for boycott.
Sweden‘s Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt proactively joined the
official boycott of the European football championship in June,
telling broadcaster SVT in Stockolm that he would not attend any of
the games of Sweden‘s national team in Ukraine.
Sweden is to play its group games in Ukraine, whose team are also
one of its opponents. Part of the games are to be held in Poland,
which is not being boycotted.
EU President Herman Van Rompuy, who met with Reinfeldt Friday,
said that he had never planned in the first place to attend Euro 2012
matches, since his country, Belgium, was not a player. But he noted
that the EU has refused to meet Ukraine leaders in Brussels, which
was “politically much more important than attending, or not, football
games in Ukraine.”
Sweden‘s Reinfeldt said he found the situation in Ukraine
“serious.”
“Human rights and the principles of rule by law are not
respected,” he said.
On Thursday, the European Union‘s 27 commissioners and Romania‘s
president joined the list of those staying clear of the country in
protest. It is not clear whether German Chancellor Angela Merkel and
German ministers will attend games in the Ukraine.
Einhaeupl said a German physician would travel to Ukraine on
Tuesday to help provide therapy for Tymoshenko in Hospital Number 5.
Ukrainian officials have rejected the allegations that Tymoshenko
had suffered violence in prison and that her bruises could not have
been sustained during the transport on April 20. Prosecutor general
Viktor Pshonka alleged that the politician could have inflicted the
wounds on herself.
Tymoshenko, the bitter rival of President Viktor Yanukovych, has
been imprisoned on a seven-year sentence since last year following an
internationally disputed process for abuse of power.
dpa cs sam mau tbo lsm pr aw
Authors: Thomas Borchert, Lennart Simonsson, Christoph Sator