[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 158 (2012), Part 13]
[House]
[Page 18567]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                  THE UKRAINE'S BACKSLIDE IN DEMOCRACY

  (Mr. SHIMKUS asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. SHIMKUS. Mr. Speaker, the Ukraine, once a model for democratic 
transition in the Eurasia region and the world after the Orange 
Revolution, has been experiencing significant backsliding in democracy. 
The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe found that the 
October elections did not meet international standards, and the arrest 
and continued harassment and mistreatment of opposition leaders, 
including the former prime minister, Yulia Tymoshenko, also causes 
concern. The trial against Ms. Tymoshenko in the gas case was described 
as selective persecution in statements by the U.S., Russia, United 
Kingdom, Germany, Italy, Spain, and other European countries.
  On July 16, 2012, our colleague, Chris Smith, introduced a measure 
calling for Ukrainian authorities to release political opposition 
leaders and hold free and fair elections. At the beginning of a new 
year, I call on Ukrainian officials to immediately free Ms. Tymoshenko 
and other political prisoners.

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