Saturday, January 11, 2014

Ukraine ex-minister hurt in clashes

Ukraine ex-minister Lutsenko hurt in clashes in Kiev

Opposition activist clashes with riot police during a rally near a court in Kiev (10 January 2014) The clashes broke out after three activists were jailed over an alleged terror plot

Several people have been injured in clashes between protesters and riot police in the Ukrainian capital Kiev.

Former Interior Minister and leading opposition figure Yuriy Lutsenko was among those wounded.

The violence broke out after three activists were earlier jailed over an alleged terror plot.

The unrest took place amid ongoing anti-government rallies against the government's decision to pull out of a landmark deal with the European Union.

Instead, President Viktor Yanukovych struck a deal with Russia in December, which has seen big cuts in the price of gas imports from Russia.

The overnight clashes occurred outside a courthouse in Kiev, where a large crowd had gathered for the verdict in a trial against members of a far-right organisation.

The three ultra-nationalists were handed six-year prison sentences on Friday for allegedly plotting to blow up a statue of the revolutionary communist Vladimir Lenin in 2011.

The far-right has played an active role in the pro-EU movement, which they see as a counterbalance to Russian influence in Ukraine, the BBC's David Stern, in Kiev, reports.

The latest scuffles underscore the continuing tension between the demonstrators and President Yanukovych, our correspondent says.

The country is experiencing its largest protests since the 2004 Orange Revolution.


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