Behind bars

A judge in Kyiv on Monday rejected two motions to reverse an order placing Ukraine's former prime minister under arrest.

Yulia Tymoshenko was held in contempt of court Friday during her own trial after refusing to cooperate with the judge and denouncing him as a "puppet" of President Viktor Yanukovych.

She has been in police detention since Friday, a move which has led to global criticism and concern over democratic freedoms in Ukraine.

'Run by the mafia'

When instructed on Monday to rise in court, she told the judge, "You know that I am not guilty of anything. I will not stand up for you."

Tymoshenko has claimed her trial was run by the mafia.

Meanwhile, hundreds of her supporters gathered outside the courthouse Monday, demanding her release from custody.

Not black and white

DW's Moscow correspondent, Mareike Aden, has stressed that Tymoshenko is likely not the "innocent angel" she has portrayed herself as in the media.

"As in many cases of people making a career so soon after the collapse of the Soviet Union, it's likely that not all of Tymoshenko's business was legal," she said.

But that's not to say that she's being given a fair trial, Aiden added.

"Of course for President Yanukovych, it would certainly be easier if she would vanish as his political opponent."

The US and the European Union have criticized Tymoshenko's detention. Washington said in a statement that the ruling reinforced the impression that Tymoshenko's trial was politically-motivated.

Tymoshenko lost a tight presidential election to Yanukovych last year and is currently on trial for alleged abuse of power stemming from gas deals she signed with Russia in 2009.

Author: Sarah Harman (Reuters, AFP)
Editor: Martin Kuebler