The grotesque spectacle of former interior minister Yuriy Lutsenko's trial continues...
Today [Thursday] the court sat for an unprecedented 14 hours - until 11.30 in the evening; and is set to continue Friday at 8.05 am. During the day Lutsenko complained he was feeling ill and doubled up in severe pain. Paramedics were summoned to attend to the accused on four occasions [some reports said five] through the day and he was administered painkilling injections several times. He spent periods lying down in the courtroom cage as proceedings continued..
So many witnesses have either given evidence in support of Lutsenko or have complained of pressure from prosecutors to 'rat' on him that in any normal court the presiding judge would have dismissed the trial many months ago, or declared a mistrial.
French human fights Ambassador Francois Zimeray, who attended the trial, declared Lutsenko's treatment to be inhuman and illegal.
The judge must really be having his balls squeezed hard by puppetmasters....
The judge must really be having his balls squeezed hard by puppetmasters....
[Photo source]
p.s. On Friday Lutsenko did not appear in court. His defence council said that he had returned to his cell at 2.00 am and was awoken at 4.30 am in readiness for Friday's court session...
What is the point of such vindictive and despicable treatment of to the accused? LEvko suggests: to demonstrate to Ukrainians who is now in total command.. who has absolute power...and to spread fear by providing an example of what happens to those the authorities consider a threat to their omnipotence ..
1 comment:
Your last paragraph is the only grounds that can substanciate any justification, if one can claim there is justification, for the persecution. Yes the current presidential regime is adopting more authoritarian rule. This is the very basis of a presidential system. You remove power from the parliament and concentrate power and authority in the hands of one indictable and this is what you get. A parliamentary system by its design provides more accountability and responsibility. Decisions can not be made in isolation. The public has more control though their elected parliamentary representatives.
Yes there is room for improvement to Ukraine's parliamentary model. Local electorates, open lists whilst maintaining a proportional representational equal mandate. One vote one value.
The demise of the 2004 constitutional amendments and the changes to Ukraine's electoral laws are a backward step.
What concerns me is that these changes were allowed to happen with the blessing of the opposition and the niavity of the diaspora.
The 2004 Consitutional amendments were a step in the right direction. In reversing thesenrefromsmUkrainenhas taken a backward step, they have thrown the baby out with the baby out with the bath water and created an environment were authoritarian rule can thrive.
Ukraine mustngetnback tomthenbasics. It must supportnthentransition from Presidentialmrule tomamfull parliamentary model of governance. The removal of presidential,power must become the main focus of democratic reform in Ukraine.. As long asmUkraine remains beholden to presidential authority it will NEVER be a free independent democratic state.
Ukraine needs to follow in the footsteps of Estonia and Latvia. It needs to adopt European values and Euopean system of governance if it ever wants to become a member of the EU. If it does not then it will continue to suffer ongoing instability and conflict. The opposition MUST decide where it stands. democray versus autocracy - parliament versus President.
The later being the best proven system of democratic government, greater accountability and in the long term greater stability.
There is not one successful modern Presidential state in the world. All the despot nations are all controlled by a central presidential figure.
Ukraina's need to be allowed the right to self govern and the right to collectively be held accountable and responsible for its governance. This is best ache ivied though a parliamentary system.
PACE and the Venice commission have both recommended as such on more occasions. Sadly thenpowersnthatnbe have ignored this sound advice. in part the reason being the the erroneous role played by the US and it's multitude of self apointed "democratic" advocates. Advocates that have failed to look beyond the US presidential system. A system that is outdated and inappropriate for Ukraine.
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