Political Quotes

“I rise to discuss an issue that I hoped I wouldn't need to bring up today but unfortunately I do. I am referring to the continued imprisonment of the former Prime Minister of Ukraine, Yulia Tymoshenko, who has now sat in jail for almost 2 years. In the fall of 2011 Ms. Tymoshenko was imprisoned for a 7-year term on charges that she abused her office in connection with a natural gas contract with Russia. I cannot judge the wisdom of that contract, but what is deeply troubling to me is the appearance of selective and politically motivated imprisonment of a former political leader in the democratic nation of Ukraine. Ukraine is a promising and hopeful new member of the community of free-market democracies--one with a solid future in the West. It has strong ties to Europe and the United States. This photo shows police officers leading former Ukranian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko out of the courtroom after the verdict in her case in Kiev on October 11, 2011. Ukraine is a great nation. It has helped NATO in Bosnia, Libya, Iraq, and Afghanistan. It is a major contributor and a valuable international peacekeeper. It was an early leader in throwing away the shackles of the Soviet Union and declaring its own independence. In 2004 Ms. Tymoshenko and countless other Ukrainians organized a series of historic protests known as the Orange Revolution to address electoral fraud in the Presidential election in those days.…”