The Guardian reports that the UK government is set to boycott the Euro 2012 soccer tournament due to Ukraine’s treatment of jailed former prime minister Yulia Tymoshenko. According to a British Foreign Office spokesperson:
No ministers will be attending group games at Euro 2012. We are keeping attendance at later stages of the tournament under review in the light of ministers’ busy schedules ahead of the Olympics and widespread concerns about selective justice and the rule of law in Ukraine.
The tournament, which is set to begin on Friday and will be co-hosted by Poland, is the largest soccer tournament in Europe outside of the World Cup. However, following Tymoshenko’s conviction–the former prime minister was sentenced to seven years in prison for abuse of office–numerous EU countries, including Germany, have announced they will not attend any matches in Ukraine.
