European politicians have written an open letter to UEFA President Michel Platini, in which they called on Platini not to allow the Ukrainian government to use the Euro 2012 European Football Championship as a huge PR campaign for its own purposes.
The letter is signed by Chairman Foreign Affairs Committee of the European Parliament Elmar Brok, MEP Viola von Cramon (Germany), Vice President of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly Walburga Habsburg Douglas, President Eurasian Transition Group Michael Laubsch, MEP Charles Tannock, and OSCE representative Matteo Mecacci.
"Therefore, we would like to ask you as the President of the UEFA not to close your eyes to what is happening in Ukraine. Please mention the issues of political suppression and injustice in public, talk about it with Ukrainian officials and the government. You represent the official and only European football organization, a sport that is not only challenging for the teams, but is also in general a part of the broader European idea," reads the letter.
The authors urged Platini to serve as a representative of rights "that are essential for our international community, and raise your voice, not only for the people in Ukraine, but for all Europeans."
The European politicians also expressed concern over the situation in Ukraine before Euro 2012. In particular, they said they had the impression that the Ukrainian government will try to use the sporting event as a huge PR campaign for its own purposes, while opponents of the president remain in jail. They also drew UEFA president's attention to the worsening of the situation with former Ukrainian Premier Yulia Tymoshenko, Interfax reported.
