A Ukrainian court sentenced former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko to seven years in prison on Tuesday for abuse of office in a politically charged ruling that drew criticism from the West and Russia.
The prosecution of Ms. Tymoshenko, the opposition leader who was the driving force behind the 2004 Orange Revolution that brought a pro-Western government to power, has become a litmus test for her archrival, President Viktor Yanukovych. Since he defeated her in a close election in 2010, he has pursued closer ties with Europe at the same time as critics accuse him of increasingly adopting the authoritarian tactics of Russian leader Vladimir Putin.
Flanked by her husband and daughter, Ms. Tymoshenko, 50 years old, remained calmly seated as the verdict was read out, before standing and addressing television cameras in the packed courtroom.
Comparing the verdict to the show trials of Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin, she said, "Don't give up. Fight, and we will overcome the authoritarian regime with our strength. I am with you. They will not stop me." Her lawyers vowed to appeal, first in Ukraine and then to the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg.
Around 3,000 Tymoshenko supporters scuffled with hundreds of riot police outside the court in downtown Kiev, briefly blocking the capital's main thoroughfare.
Catherine Ashton, the European Union foreign policy chief, denounced the verdict, saying it confirms fears "that justice is being applied selectively in politically motivated prosecutions of the leaders of the opposition." She warned that it risked "profound implications" for Ukraine's hopes of closer ties with the EU, in particular a free-trade and partnership agreement now under negotiation.
The ruling also drew anger from Moscow, which is worried because Ms. Tymoshenko's conviction related to a 2009 deal for Russian natural gas supplies in which Kiev agreed to pay high prices for the fuel. Kiev has threatened to challenge the agreement in court, a position Moscow has contested.
Conceding that Ms. Tymoshenko's pro-Western stance had made her "a political opponent," Mr. Putin said in televised comments during a visit to China, "I don't really understand what they gave her the seven years for." Russia's Foreign Ministry also cited allegations the trial was politically motivated, complaining of an "obvious anti-Russian subtext in the whole story."
But Moscow appeared likely to be a major beneficiary from tensions between Kiev and the West. Mr. Putin has had some success in recent years to re-establish Moscow's influence in the former Soviet Union, putting pressure on pro-western governments and wooing allies with trade and economic deals. Moscow has pushed for Kiev to join a Russian-led trade bloc that would be incompatible with the proposed deal with the EU.
Tuesday, the Kremlin seemed to be eager to keep links open with Kiev, announcing that President Dmitry Medvedev will travel to Ukraine for talks next week. Ukrainian officials said a compromise on gas prices for next year could come within a few weeks.
Mr. Yanukovych's administration has consistently denied any political motivation in the trial. Western diplomats had mounted an intense campaign over recent weeks to encourage Kiev to back down from the conviction or find some way to avoid jail time for Ms. Tymoshenko.
Mr. Yanukovych seemed to hint Tuesday that a compromise might still be possible. The court's verdict "isn't the final decision," he said, in comments carried on his website. "The appeal court still is ahead. And, of course, the decision it takes and under which legislation it takes this decision will have great significance."
A prominent member of Mr. Yanukovych's party said Tuesday the government would watch international reaction, especially from the U.S., Germany and France. "If the outcry is loud from important places, they'll back down," he said. The government has no plans to give up its hopes of a trade deal with Europe or join the Russian-led trade bloc, he added.
Mr. Yanukovich suggested to Western diplomats last month that he might push through legislation decriminalizing the violations of which Ms Tymoshenko was convicted, allowing her to avoid jail time.
But a draft law currently under discussion in parliament does not cover the article under which Ms. Tymoshenko was jailed, and Western officials in Kiev raised concerns that Mr. Yanukovych may be trying to deceive them.
"People are less optimistic that he is actually committed to this," said a senior Western diplomat.
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