KIEV, April 26 – Opposition lawmakers blocking Parliament for the second day Thursday threatened to continue the protest through the next week unless the authorities investigate the alleged beating of jailed former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko.

The protest effectively keeps Parliament shut down, not allowing the government to approve any legislation or to swear in the government’s new human rights aide.

“We will stay in Parliament through the night and through upcoming holidays,” Ostap Semerak, a lawmaker from the opposition Batkivshchyna party, told TVi. “We will continue to block Parliament until they meet our demands.”

The development, coupled with a growing political pressure from the European Union and the U.S., puts more strain on the government, which has been tackling serious economic issues.

The group of 40 lawmakers blocked Parliament after Tymoshenko had issued a statement accusing prison guards of punching her in the stomach on Friday before dragging her for medical examination in a state-run hospital.

She refused the examination and was returned back to her prison cell in Kharkiv on Saturday.

A local prosecutor later denied the beating had taken place, but confirmed she had been taken to the hospital by force and against her will.

The blocking of Parliament is a practice often used by opposition parties on important issues. The Regions Party, however, usually uses its overwhelming manpower and brutal force to stop the actions and to put legislature back on track. But this time around things could be different.

“They’ve discussed the option, and have decided that after the beating of Tymoshenko just another incident of this kind is not needed,” Obkom quoted a source from the Batkivshchyna group.

Vitaliy Zablotskiy, a member of the Regions Party, confirmed the speculations. “No any unblocking of Parliament by force has been planned. Nothing has been discussed.”

The government is under pressure to hold a session of Parliament as soon as possible in order to sworn in Valentyna Lutkovska, a former top Justice Ministry official who was approved earlier this week as the country’s human rights representative.

Lutkovska, whose nomination was pushed through by President Viktor Yanukovych, is loyal to the authorities, and will replace Nina Karpachyova, who Wednesday urged the government to investigate the alleged beating of Tymoshenko.

A human rights representative in Ukraine is allowed by law to get access to any prisoner in Ukraine in any prison at any time, the post that is especially politically important now as Tymoshenko is serving seven-year jail sentence.

Bowing to growing international pressure, Yanukovych on Thursday said he had ordered law enforcement authorities to investigate the alleged beating of Tymoshenko.

But Yanukovych’s Regions Party on Thursday issued a surprise statement accusing Tymoshenko and her allies of staging the beating in order to undermine international reputation of Ukrainian leaders.

“This is a well-staged performance by the same masters of political intrigues and dirty speculations: Mrs. Tymoshenko and her staff,” the Regions Party said in the statement.

“In this performance, the world community is being forced on a myth about torturing, denying medical assistance to the poor prisoner Tymoshenko,” the statement said. “In doing so, the Ukrainian leadership is shown as uncivilized and undemocratic.”

“Who, in a sound mind, under all attention that is attracted to Tymoshenko, would dare to touch her even with a finger?” the statement said. “The goal of this provocation is to compromise the leadership of Ukraine.” (tl/ez)