Ex-Ukraine PM's allies protest dramatic arrest

Supporters of former Ukrainian prime minister Yulia Tymoshenko began a sit-in to protest her detention as the international community expressed concern over her dramatic arrest. A Kiev court Friday placed the glamorous Tymoshenko under arrest for contempt of court in her ongoing trial on charges of abuse of power, which she claims is a vendetta pursued by her rival, President Viktor Yanukovych. In extraordinary scenes, the opposition leader was driven through central Kiev's Kreshchatyk avenue in a prison van surrounded by hundreds of police to the Lukyanovsky detention centre in Kiev where she spent the night. At least 100 supporters, including parliament deputies, pitched a line of some 30 tents on Kreshchatyk avenue near the courthouse and vowed to maintain their sit-in until Tymoshenko is released. Tymoshenko's right-hand-man Olexander Turchinov meanwhile warned of a repeat of the 2004 Orange Revolution uprising in Kiev's Maidan square that brought a pro-Western government to power. He said that if people turned out in force in the streets, "Ukraine could have a true government of the people" by September. Tymoshenko, one of the leaders of the Orange Revolution, narrowly lost to her old rival Yanukovych in presidential elections last year. The presidency has denied any involvement in her trial. Ukraine's human rights ombudswoman Nina Karpacheva visited Tymoshenko late Friday and said she was being kept in a cell with another woman. Tymoshenko's allies released a video address recorded a day before her arrest in which she predicted her detention. She vowed to protect Ukraine and not to seek asylum abroad. "Be sure -- they will never break me," she said. The US embassy in Kiev has requested an access visit while calling for "consideration to be given" to her immediate release. A statement said: "Yesterday?s incarceration of former prime minister Tymoshenko has raised concerns internationally about the application of the rule of law in Ukraine and further contributes to the appearance of politically-motivated prosecutions. "The US Government shares those concerns and urges that Mrs. Tymoshenko?s incarceration be reviewed and consideration be given to her immediate release." France said it had concerns over the motivations of the trial while EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton said the events were "a cause for concern about the state of the rule of law in Ukraine." Sweden's Foreign Minister Carl Bildt went further, calling the trial an "embarrassing spectacle" which "does great damage to a great country." Volodymyr Fesenko, head of the Penta political research centre, said while the arrest would not halt talks on an association and free trade agreement it could severely damage progress towards a key step to Ukraine joining the EU. "If Tymoshenko stays behind bars it could affect the course of negotiations and even if (an association agreement) is signed, there can be problems with ratification," he said. He said that if Tymoshenko was ultimately convicted and jailed in her abuse of power trial "unofficial diplomatic isolation of the Ukrainian authorities could be possible". Politically-committed Ukrainian boxing star Vitali Klitschko said he had halted training for an upcoming world championship fight to return to Kiev and take part in a "battle for democratic values" following the arrest. Tymoshenko is accused of causing a loss to Ukraine's budget of 1.5 billion hryvnias ($190 million) when she signed a new energy contract with Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin after a brief interruption of gas deliveries in 2009. Friday's drama coincided with a court appearance by Ukrainian Prime Minister Mykola Azarov, who gave witness testimony backing the prosecution and was promptly described by Tymoshenko as a "fully-certified, corrupt old man". This comment appeared to trigger the court's order to arrest Tymoshenko, who since the trial started in June had irritated judge Rodion Kireyev by mercilessly mocking him on Twitter. According to online newspaper Ukrainska Pravda, Tymoshenko had to let down her trademark knotted hair braid on being detained, in line with the centre's rules. Known in Ukraine as the "Iron Lady" after her heroine ex-British prime minister Margaret Thatcher, Tymoshenko was also briefly imprisoned in 2001 on forgery charges that were eventually quashed. The current charges carry a sentence of between seven and 10 years in prison. Even a suspended sentence would disqualify her from parliamentary polls next year and the next presidential elections in 2015.