Supporters oppose Tymoshenko prison sentence

A tent and flags set up near the prison in Kiev where former Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko is being held.
Tymoshenko was sentenced on Tuesday to seven years in prison for abuse of office in relation to a gas deal she brokered with Russia in 2009.
Her three-month trial has polarized public opinion in the former Soviet republic, with some maintaining the charismatic opposition leader is being persecuted.
(SOUNDBITE) (Russian) LIUBOV KHOMENKO:
"No it is not just - if they are going to start convicting people - if they convict Tymoshenko they need to start with Kravchuk, Victor Yushchenko and the rest and to have a look at what they've sold."
Other residents of Kiev hold a different view.
(SOUNDBITE) (Russian) KONSTANTIN PERMYAKOV:
"I think that any politician at that level would get the sentence she received, so it doesn't bother me."
The European Union, a large Ukraine trading partner, has warned that jailing Tymoshenko will risk jeopardizing an association agreement due to be signed later this year.
Nick Rowlands, Reuters.