Ukraine's Tymoshenko Loses Appeal Against Jailing

Former Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko

An appeals court in Ukraine has upheld the guilty verdict and the seven-year jail sentence imposed on former prime minister Yulia Tymoshenko.

Tymoshenko was jailed for exceeding her authority in brokering a 2009 gas deal with Russia.

She has denied any wrongdoing and dismissed the trial as part of a campaign by President Viktor Yanukovych to get rid of a political rival.

The United States and the European Union also have condemned the trial as politically motivated.

Tymoshenko has dismissed the appeal hearings as a "farce" and has filed a case with the European Court of Human Rights.

compiled from agency reports