Sweden & France Ministers Add to Euro 2012 Boycott

 

Fresh Euro 2012 boycott fears have been laid down by Sweden, Britain and France over co-host Ukraine and its record on democracy and human rights on Monday.

 

Sweden, which has been sharply critical of the prosecution and jailing of former prime minister Yulia Tymoshenko, said it was not sending any government minister to its match against the home side at Kiev’s Olympic stadium.

 

England and France, Sweden’s European Union allies, were due to play in Ukraine’s eastern city of Donetsk without any of their government officials present in a snub to President Viktor Yanukovich. They and Sweden will be represented by ambassadors.

 

The unofficial boycott by the three EU powers serves up a reminder that Yanukovich’s record on human rights and democracy could disqualify his country from entry into the Union’s elite club of democracies.

 

Denmark and the Netherlands, also EU members, took a different tack and sent their ministers to attend their match in Ukraine on Saturday.

 

But they used the occasion to meet victims of alleged police torture and discuss homophobia and the need for an independent judiciary in Ukraine.

 

The boycott by EU allies which also include Germany is aimed at securing the release of Tymoshenko, Yanukovich’s main rival.

 

She was sentenced to seven years in prison last October for abuse of office and, even though the West says her trial was politically-motivated. 

 

The UK government have already decided not to send their ministers to the tournament.