烏克蘭法官拒絕釋放季莫申科

A judge in Ukraine rejected Monday a request by former prime minister Yulia Tymoshenko's lawyer to free her from police detention during her trial on abuse of authority while in office.

Ms. Tymoshenko was taken into custody Friday after the judges determined she was in contempt of court.

On Sunday, the administrative court decided to ban mass protests near the Kyiv court where the trial will take place. Security troops also surrounded her supporters near the detention center in Ukraine's capital where she is being held.

The U.S. embassy in Kyiv has called on Ukraine to release the former prime minister. A statement issued Saturday also expressed concerns about the application of the rule of law in the Eastern European country.

Ms. Tymoshenko is accused of overstepping her powers in the process of striking a natural gas deal with Russia in 2009.烏克蘭法官星期一駁回前烏克蘭女總理季莫申科的律師提出的解除在審訊期內對季莫申科的警方拘禁。季莫申科因被控在任期內濫用職權而接受審判。

上星期五，季莫申科因被判藐視法庭而被拘禁。行政法庭星期天決定禁止民衆在審理季莫申科案的一個基輔法院附近聚集示威。安全部隊也在季莫申科被關押的基輔一個拘留中心附近包圍了她的支持者。

在基輔的美國駐烏克蘭大使館呼籲烏克蘭釋放季莫申科。一份上週六公佈的聲明也對烏克蘭的法治現狀表達了憂慮。

季莫申科被控在2009與俄羅斯簽訂天然氣合約的過程中越權。