The Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Thorbjørn Jagland, has asked the Ukrainian authorities to explain on what legal basis Mr Serhiy Vlasenko, an opposition deputy, was stripped of his parliamentary seat yesterday.

"I find it very unusual that a deputy elected by the people can be expelled from Parliament at short notice and without having committed a serious crime.

I have asked the Ukrainian authorities to provide an explanation for this action which may affect a fundamental principle in a democracy, the sovereignty of a people to elect its deputies", he said.

See also:
PACE rapporteurs strongly criticise the revocation of the parliamentary mandate of Ukrainian opposition MP Serhiy Vlasenko
Ukraine and the Council of Europe