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Ukraine's Parliament Speaker Says Deputies Are Tapped

8 April 2005 (RFE/RL) -- Ukraine's Parliament Speaker Volodymyr Lytvyn today claimed that his telephone and that of other lawmakers are being tapped.

He also said some deputies are under surveillance, but gave no further details.

Lytvyn made these remarks at the end of a parliamentary debate on the recent arrest of Boris Kolesnikov, the head of the legislature in the eastern Donetsk region.

Kolesnikov, a long-time ally of former prime minister and presidential candidate Viktor Yanukovych, was arrested this week on various charges, including exortion and conspiracy to commit murder.

His supporters, however, claim the charges are politically motivated. They have threatened to stage more protests if he is not released soon. Thousands rallied in Donetsk yesterday.

Yanukovych today sent a letter to Prosecutor-General Svyatoslav Piskun, Supreme Court Chairman Vasily Malyarenko and Interior Minister Yury Lutsenko to demand Kolesnikov's immediate release.

(UKRAINSKA PRAVDA UA/INTERFAX-UKRAINA)

Copyright (c) 2005. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. www.rferl.org