The husband of Ukraine’s jailed former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko has been granted political asylum in the Czech Republic, Czech Interior Minister Jan Kubice said on Friday.
Oleksandr Tymoshenko requested asylum at the end of last year.
Kubice said the decision should not affect relations between the Czech Republic and Ukraine.
"The decision was made by the Interior Ministry, not the Foreign Ministry. This means that it is an internal affair of the Czech Republic," he said.
Kubice declined to provide any more information about the case.
"The Interior Ministry does not disclose any information in the course of asylum proceedings as a matter of principle. We only announce whether an application has been granted or not," he said.
Yulia Tymoshenko was jailed for seven years in October for abuse office in a trial internationally condemned as politically motivated.
The 51-year-old opposition leader insists she is a victim of a conspiracy by President Viktor Yanukovych, her long-time political opponent. Yanukovych denies the allegations.
Oleksandr Tymoshenko has business interests in the Czech Republic and holds a stake in the Czech company International Industrial Projects.
Last January, the country granted asylum to former Ukrainian Economy Minister Bohdan Danylyshyn.
