Commentary and Analysis: Yanukovych’s pardon of Yuriy Lutsenko

On April 7th 2013,  the President of Ukraine, Viktor Yanukovych, signed a decree pardoning six prisoners, including the former minister of the interior, Yuri Lutsenko and the former minister of environment, Georgiy Filipchuk. The decision came after the country's Ombudsman, Valeriya Lutkovska, petitioned for their release. On Saturday April 6th the presidential committee for pardons recommended that the president should positively react to these petitions.

In response to the news, we asked colleagues and analysts to provide with us their short interpretation of the events as they unfolded:

Volodymyr Ariev – Ukrainian People’s Deputy, Kyiv

A Positive Signal? https://www.neweasterneurope.eu/node/743

Paweł Kowal – Polish politician and member of the European Parliament (Chair, EU-Ukraine Parliamentary Cooperation Committee) and adjunct at the Institute of Political Studies, Polish Academy of Sciences.
Only for people with Strong Nerves: https://www.neweasterneurope.eu/node/741

Josh Black – Oxford University student and editor of Vostock Cable
Lutsenko's Pardon- For international consumption: https://www.neweasterneurope.eu/node/744

Andrew Wilson, Senior Policy Fellow with the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR).
The Lutsenko Pardon: Enough to Appease the EU? https://www.neweasterneurope.eu/node/745