By Yi Whan-woo
A group of high school students are demanding the release of Ukraine’s leading democracy fighter Yulia Tymoschenko, who is serving a prison sentence in her own country.
The students from Hanil High School in South Chungcheong Province rallied Saturday in front of the Ukraine Embassy in Yongsan, Seoul, urging the Ukraine government to free the “political prisoner.”
Tymoschenko, a former prime minister who led the country’s 2004 civil uprising called the Orange Revolution, was sentenced to a seven-year jail term last year on corruption charges.
She has denied the charges, and her supporters claim incumbent Ukraine President Viktor Yanukovych was behind the scheme to eliminate his political rival.
The students said they organized the rally to raise public awareness of the political situation as Korea and Ukraine marked the 20th anniversary of diplomatic relations earlier this month.
“Korea and Ukraine both have in common a past of being under the rule of dictatorships,” a protester said. The students belong to Hope Never Dies, a group studying human rights. “We fully sympathize with Tymoshenko, a democratic leader of her country.”
Koo Bon-hoon, 18, leader of the group, said, “A number of Eastern Europe countries do not receive much attention from Koreans as well as the Korean media. Our members are highly interested in human rights situations around the world. We decided to rally because we thought Tymoshenko was suffering political persecution.”
One of the participants, Seo Dae-hoon showed a letter written in English to Tymoshenko, which reads “We should meet together soon and discuss democracy.”
Other protesters threw roses over the fence around the Ukrainian Embassy. Their actions emulated Ukrainian protesters who slipped roses on the shields of the armed police during the Orange Revolution.
The students said they plan to hold similar rallies in June, when Ukraine co-hosts football’s European Championships with Poland. The quadrennial tournament is the continent’s top international competition and draws worldwide attention.
The protesters added they will also stage a protest in October, when a general election will be held in Ukraine.