KIEV, April 13 – The U.S. is “deeply disappointed” with the conviction of Ukraine’s former acting Defense Minister Valery Ivashchenko and urges the authorities to release him, the U.S. Embassy said in a statement Friday.

“We are deeply disappointed in this latest example of selective justice in Ukraine and call for his release,” the U.S. Embassy said in the statement.

Ivashchenko, a top ally of jailed former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko, was sentenced to five years in prison on Thursday for abuse of office. He spent 18 months in pre-trial detention, and has repeatedly complains about his declining health.