KIEV — Ukraine's highest court Wednesday upheld the guilty verdict against former prime minister Yulia Tymoshenko, who is in jail on abuse of office charges. Tymoshenko was an architect of Ukraine's 2004 Orange Revolution that promoted democracy and a runner-up in the 2010 presidential election. She was sentenced to seven years in prison in October 2011, when she was found guilty of exceeding her powers while negotiating a gas contract with Russia while she was prime minister. Her supporters say the trial is politically motivated, initiated by her opponent, President Viktor Yanukovich, to keep her out of October elections. The government denies the accusations. The European Union urged Ukraine to reform its judicial system after Tymoshenko lost her appeal. “We stress the importance for the Ukrainian authorities to take concrete steps to address the systemic problems of the judiciary,” said Michael Mann, a spokesman for EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton. “These should also redress the effects of selective justice, including in the cases of Mrs. Tymoshenko, Mr. Lutsenko and others, and prevent such failures from occurring again,” he said referring to Yuri Lutsenko, who was sentenced to two years in prison on Aug 17. Russian President Vladimir Putin, Tymoshenko's counterpart in signing the gas deal, has said there was nothing illegal in her actions. Judge Alexander Elfimov said as he was reading the ruling that the court had “found no grounds to uphold (Tymoshenko's) appeal” of the verdict, and that the prison term is “adequate to the gravity of the crime.” Several members of the audience yelled “Shame!” upon hearing the verdict. “This and past court rulings have nothing to do with justice,” said Tymoshenko aide Alexander Turchinov. Lawyers for Tymoshenko are appealing the conviction in the European Court for Human Rights. Even a positive European verdict however may still not see Tymoshenko's release because she faces a brand new set of tax evasion and embezzlement charges that may keep her in jail for years to come. The fiery and divisive figure's case — viewed with increasing dispassion by Ukrainians who have grown tired of their leaders' incessant internal squabbles — has been watched closely by both the European Union and Washington. EU negotiators have made the release of Tymoshenko and her other jailed allies a condition for Ukraine being given preliminary backing to eventual membership in the 27-nation bloc. Several European heads of state and EU leaders have also expressed their anger by skipping the football matches Ukraine co-hosted with Poland during this summer's European Championship. Yanukovych rejects his Western critics as biased and defends the case as part of a legitimate campaign against the type of corruption that has embroiled governments for most of Ukraine's recent past. Tymoshenko's following remains strong in Ukraine, where demonstrations at the prison in support of her are frequent. At least 500 hundred supporters gathered Wednesday outside the courthouse in Kiev, chanting “Freedom to Yulia!” — Agencies
