Ukraine court upholds Tymoshenko conviction

Ukraine's high court on Wednesday upheld former prime minister Yulia Tymoshenko's conviction and seven-year jail sentence for abuse of power linked to a disputed 2009 gas deal with Russia. "The judicial panel has ruled that the appeal filed by Tymoshenko is not subject to approval," judge Olexander Elfimov told the court. "The judicial panel found no grounds for the appeal," the judge said.The ruling by Ukraine's highest court means that Tymoshenko has now exhausted her domestic legal recourse and is free to appeal her full case before the European Court of Human Rights. About 100 supporters of the 2004 pro-democracy Orange Revolution co-leader waved Tymoshenko's Batkivshchyna (Fatherland) party flags during a quiet rally held outside the Kiev courtroom. Both the defence and most Western nations view the charges as politically motivated and have urged President Viktor Yanukovych to take measures that would lead to his great rival's release. Tymoshenko struck the gas deal during a cut in Russian deliveries that came in the middle of a winter prices dispute. Yanukovych argues that Tymoshenko overstepped her authority in agreeing the deal without required consultations and says he is only waging a campaign for clean government.