Former Soviet dissidents have added their voices to a strong statement protesting the ever-increasing criminal prosecutions brought against former President Petro Poroshenko. They consider these “selective justice and political persecution,” returning Ukraine to the times of Mr. Poroshenko’s predecessor, Viktor Yanukovych.
Their warning that this damages Ukraine’s image in the world was surely confirmed on June 18 by reports in the international media about the thousands who came to show support for Mr. Poroshenko at a court hearing that had initially been to seek his detention. The hearing was eventually adjourned until July 1, however concerns about selective justice are hardly allayed by the fact that the judge hearing the case is Serhiy Vovk, who gained notoriety under the Yanukovych regime for his role in the politically motivated prosecution and imprisonment of Yuriy Lutsenko.