KIEV, April 3 – Steel bars were put on windows in several rooms at a Kharkiv hospital Tuesday amid signs the authorities are preparing to relocate jailed opposition leader Yulia Tymoshenko for medical treatment.

The five windows on the ninth floor at the corporate hospital of UkrZaliznytsia, the state railroad company, were replaced with those with special shade coating and bars were attached, Interfax reported.

The hospital was mentioned by the authorities on Monday as a potential place where Tymoshenko could get medical treatment for her persistent back pain.

Tymoshenko has not yet agreed to relocate to the hospital amid concerns she may get mistreated, while her lawyer has suggested foreign doctors should check whether the facility can provide adequate treatment.

The authorities have long denied that Tymoshenko needs special medical treatment for back pain, but had suddenly agreed on Monday to allow her treatment outside of prison.

The decision comes two weeks after the European Court of Human Rights has requested the authorities to make sure that Tymoshenko gets “adequate” healthcare outside of prison.

The order by Prosecutor General Viktor Pshonka is a reversal of earlier position by the authorities that had originally planned simply to equip a medical room at the Kachanivska prison.

Yevhen Zakharov, a Ukrainian human rights activist, said the relocation of Tymoshenko to prison would show Ukraine abides by the instruction of the European Court, but may potentially create more problems for the authorities.

“Tymoshenko can be returned back to the prison only after permission from the European Court and after examining her health report papers,” Zakharov said in an interview with Channel 5. “The court must decide she does not need any more treatment.”

Tymoshenko was arrested in August 2011 and jailed in December 2011 to seven years in prison for abuse of power while being the prime minister for negotiating and signing natural gas deal with Russia in January 2009.

Tymoshenko denied any wrongdoing and lodged an application with the European Court alleging that her criminal prosecution and detention were politically motivated.

She also complained her detention condition were “inadequate,” with no medical care provided for her “numerous” health problems.

The European Court decided on December 14 2011 to give priority to the case – Tymoshenko vs. Ukraine (application No. 49872/11) – in view of the “serious and sensitive nature” of the allegations raised.

On March 14, Tymoshenko applied before the European Court for an interim measure, asking to be transferred to an appropriate medical institution in view of her health. (tl/ez)