Prison takes toll on Tymoshenko glamor
Apr 27, 2012, 5:05 PM
KIEV, Ukraine (AP) – A long trial and seventh months in prison have taken a toll on the vivid glamor that Yulia Tymoshenko once radiated.
The former Ukrainian prime minister and heroine of the Orange Revolution was as much of a style icon as a democracy icon _ dazzling the world with her famous peasant-style braid, elegant couture and confident charisma.
Now, she looks wan and world-weary, the vibrant glow in her blond hair faded. The braid’s still there but it lies limply on her shoulder. In pictures taken of her in prison, she lies in bed displaying bruises that she claims come from prison guards.
She complains of excruciating back pain and refuses treatment by local doctors, fearing they will make her worse.
Tymoshenko’s case has prompted strong criticism from the West as politically motivated. Tymoshenko says it is revenge by her arch-foe, President Viktor Yanukovych.
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