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French Government Boycotting Euro 2012


A man walks past a billboard with a portrait of jailed Yulia Tymoshenko in central Kyiv.
A man walks past a billboard with a portrait of jailed Yulia Tymoshenko in central Kyiv.
France's Foreign Ministry says government ministers will boycott matches held in Ukraine during the Euro 2012 football championship in protest at Kyiv's treatment of jailed opposition leader Yulia Tymoshenko.

Sports Minister Valerie Fourneyron was quoted in sports daily "L'Equipe" on June 1 as saying "no member of the government will attend matches in Ukraine."

Former Prime Minister Tymoshenko is serving a seven-year jail term on charges of abuse of office, widely condemned as politically motivated by the West.

Meanwhile, the European Court of Human Rights said on June 1 it was satisfied with the medical treatment given to Tymoshenko, but it reserves the right to reconsider the issue.

Tymoshenko had been on a hunger strike until May 9, the day she started receiving hospital treatment under the supervision of a German neurologist.

Based on reporting by AFP and AP

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