This week a report appearing in the European Voice -an independent newspaper reporting on the issues of European Union outlined the political intolerance and injustices meted on Ukrainian opposition figures and warned that Ukraine risks being isolated and its bargain to join the EU remains in balance following the sentencing of Yulia Tymoshenko, an opposition leader, to seven years in prison. The verdict has attracted mixed reactions among EU member states on the political agreement on the association deal with Ukraine which is currently on its final stage.
Yulia Tymoshenko was sentenced for her role in negotiating a gas deal with Russia when she was prime minister in 2009. She has been ordered to repay around €14million in damages. She has denied the charges, which she says are politically motivated-an analysis being shared by he EU. In a statement issued by the 27 EU member states, Ukraine has been blamed of applying selective justice and persecuting political opponents.
“Justice is being applied selectively in politically motivated prosecutions of the leaders of the opposition and members of the former government”, said the statement in part.
President Viktor Yanukovych of Ukraine visit to Brussels where he was scheduled to meet Herman Van Rompuy, the president of the European Council, and José Manuel Barroso, the president of the Commission in Brussels was characterized by shuttle diplomacy despite several member states, notably France, Germany and the Netherlands warning that any deal between the EU and Ukraine should only be considered when Ukraine stops a conspiracy of politically motivated persecutions targeting its political opponents.
Ukraine is under pressure to strike out the provisions in the criminal code under which Tymoshenko was sentenced. A vote is pending before the Ukrainian parliament and it’s expected to be debated this week. If the amended code is adopted, Tysmoshenko could be freed and Yanukovych is likely to score political mileage both abroad and at home.
As an outsider in this political circle, there is a unique lesson that must be emulated in Africa, the character of political solidarity and diplomatic policy towards despotic and intolerant regimes that are bent towards perpetuating political witch-haunt and a pattern of systematic persecution of its opponents as witnessed in most member states of the Africa Union.
The Africa Union must take leave and begin to reign on its members who have continuously violated political freedoms and human rights.
Take the case of Uganda, where opposition leaders continue to be persecuted as the AU watch, or the recent case in Rwanda where opposition leaders continue to languish in detention on politically-motivated charges.
Rwandan opposition leader Victoire Ingabire has been charged of genocide denial and collaborating with a “terrorist organisation an accusation she had denied and maintains that she was being persecuted for challenging the ruling elite and for representing a divergent political dialogue that differs from that of president Kagame.
Perhaps the Africa Union (AU) lacks both the political will and determination to punish member states who arbitrarily apply selective approach when dealing with its political opponents. In Uganda, opposition leader Kizza Besigye continues to be persecuted because of his opposition to the government of president Museveni and in recent weeks, his party has been declared an enemy of the state.
It’s because of the failure of the AU to assert itself that countries like Kenya slipped to near anarchy following the disputed presidential election of 2007 and Somalia and Congo remain in a permanent state of conflict.
For the Africa Union federation to prosper, political tolerance and emancipation must be embraced and divergent views taken in to consideration among member states as a matter of policy. This is the lesson that one would wish to borrow from the way the EU has dealt with states that threatens the stability of the federation.
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