Klychko calling on EU to impose sanctions against Ukrainian officials

Leader of the UDAR Party Vitaliy Klychko has urged the European Union to introduce personal sanctions against Ukrainian top officials, who violate rights and freedoms of citizens, and called for inquiries into the foreign accounts of Ukrainian officials.

"Ukrainian citizens should not be held hostage to the official policy. Therefore international sanctions should apply not to Ukraine as a whole and its citizens, but to its senior officials, with real names and positions. These sanctions should deprived Ukrainian authorities of the ability to hide their fortunes abroad and get away with corruption, violation of human rights and civil liberties, selective justice, and the destruction of the parliamentary system. UDAR suggests holding inquiries into the accounts of senior Ukrainian officials, prosecutors and judges, their business operations and their property abroad," Klychko said at meetings with leaders of European institutions in Brussels. The press service of the UDAR party reported that Klychko met with Head of the European Parliament Committee on Foreign Affairs Elmar Brock, President of the European People's Party Wilfried Martens, and Head of the EPP family in the Euronest Parliamentary Assembly Jacek Saryusz-Wolski. Besides, the UDAR leader handed a letter to High Representative for Common Foreign and Security Policy, Vice-President of the European Commission Catherine Ashton and President of European Parliament Martin Schulz. He also assured that the UDAR party has consistently advocated Ukraine's accession to the European community and the implementation of all of the steps needed for this, in particular, the signing of the Association Agreement with the EU and the creation of a free trade area. On March 14, Vitaliy Klychko called on U.S. Deputy Secretary of State William Burns at a meeting in the U.S. to impose international sanctions on particular Ukrainian officials responsible for selective justice, political reprisals and human rights abuses in Ukraine. While in Washington, Klychko also discussed the situation in Ukraine with Senator John McCain and Freedom House Director David Kramer.