US official says Tymoshenko's running for president shouldn't be hindered

19:13, 24.10.2013 1 min read

Former Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko has to have the right to run in the next presidential campaign in Ukraine in 2015, U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State in the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor Thomas Melia has said.

"We don't see any reason to restrict her political rights in any way. There should be no obstacles to her nomination at the next election in Ukraine," he told Ukrainian journalists on Thursday.

He added that the U.S. has stated that the criminal proceedings against Tymoshenko were a sign of selective justice and called on the Ukrainian government to set Tymoshenko free.

Melia also noted that for this reason, observers from international organizations had noted that the previous parliamentary elections in Ukraine were imperfect, in particular due to restrictions on the right to run for election.