KIEV, October 24 (Itar-Tass) —— The Ukrainian Health Ministry has asked doctors from the German Charite clinic to consider finishing former Prime Minister and opposition Batkivshchina party leader Yulia Timoshenko’s treatment.
The ministry asked the doctors to come to Kharkov, where Timoshenko is undergoing medical treatment in the railway hospital, since the Ukrainian part of the medical commission cannot make the decision alone.
Timoshenko has filed a petition asking to be discharged from hospital and returned to the penal colony.
The international medical commission last met in the middle of October, with the participation of German doctors. It decided to extend Timoshenko’s hospitalisation, but the former prime minister submitted petitions on October 19 to the prison superintendent and the Kharkov hospital head, asking them to terminate her treatment and transfer her back to the penal colony due to permanent video surveillance in her hospital room.
The State Penitentiary Service said earlier it had doubts about the advisability of Timoshenko’s further medical treatment at the Kharkov railway hospital.
“Taking into account the unlawful behaviour of the prisoner, violations of the security regime by her lawyer and fellow party members, and given the considerable improvement in the prisoner’s motor activity, the State Penitentiary Services of Ukraine is preparing an official petition to the members of the medical commission, asking them to provide their opinion as to whether it would be advisable or not to keep Timoshenko in hospital further,” the service said.
Timoshenko said, through her lawyer, on October 1 that she had been given a document by the Penitentiary Service informing her about termination of her medical treatment and her discharge from hospital.
However the State Penitentiary Service denied that flatly. “The Penitentiary Service did not serve any documents on discharge of prisoner Timoshenko as it simply has no such documents and is not authorised to take such decisions. Therefore such statements on the part of the convict are wrong and aim to slander Penitentiary Service employees for her own political benefits,” the Service’s press service said.
Timoshenko fell ill on August 18, 2011, two weeks after her arrest. She was taken to hospital on May 9 after a 20-day hunger strike
Physicians believe that Timoshenko has discal hernia. She has been complaining about pains in the back. Her lawyers claim that her condition was worsening despite medical treatment.
Timoshenko mistrusts Ukrainian medics and rejected their help. She insists that she be examined by independent medics.
On October 11, 2011, Timoshenko was sentenced to seven years in prison for having acted in excess of her powers which had resulted in damage to national interests.
Timoshenko has also been barred from holding public positions for three years and has to pay a penalty of 189 million U.S. dollars in damages to Naftogaz Ukrainy.
In late December 2011, Timoshenko was transferred from the investigation prison to a correctional facility in the eastern Kharkov region.
Timoshenko is also facing new charges as former head of the Unified Energy Systems of Ukraine.