CoE secretary general asking Ukrainian authorities to explain situation with Vlasenko

Secretary General of the Council of Europe Thorbjorn Jagland has asked the Ukrainian authorities to explain on what legal basis member of the Batkivschyna faction Serhiy Vlasenko was stripped of his parliamentary seat.

"I find it very unusual that a deputy elected by the people can be expelled from parliament at short notice and without having committed a serious crime. I have asked the Ukrainian authorities to provide an explanation for this action which may affect a fundamental principle in a democracy, the sovereignty of a people to elect its deputies," the secretary general said in a statement posted on the organization's Web site.