Jerzy Buzek, European Parliament Chief, Backs Ukraine's Yulia Tymoshenko

The European Parliament President, Jerzy Buzek, expressed his support Sunday for Ukraine’s ex-prime minister, Yulia Tymoshenko, who was convicted of abuse of power and jailed for seven years.

“You should not be in jail,” Buzek wrote on Yulia Tymoshenko’s Facebook wall as she marked her 51st birthday.

Tymoshenko was taken to the hospital earlier last week after concern over her health but was brought back to prison within hours. “The right to medical treatment is a basic right of prisoners, and the lack of this treatment in Tymoshenko case is very harmful for the credibility of Ukrainian authorities,” Buzek said.

“I also propose that Ukrainian authorities let independent, international doctors - with Tymoshenko’s permission - proceed with a health check and to suggest appropriate treatment.”

Buzek said new charges leveled at Tymoshenko earlier this month “shed light on the lack of independence of the Ukrainian judiciary and on the partisanship of Ukraine's elite.” “Ukraine cannot be welcome in the European family if Ukrainian authorities do not respect European standards and values,” Buzek warned.

Prosecutors accused Tymoshenko of concealing foreign currency revenues and evading taxes while serving as head of United Energy Systems of Ukraine in the mid-1990s. Tymoshenko describes her prosecution as a political vendetta launched against her by President Viktor Yanukovych after his narrow victory against her, last year, in a bitter national poll.