US urge to allow American doctor to Zeltser
1- 5.11.2008, 15:14
The US embassy in Minsk applied to the Belarusian authorities for allowing an American doctor to examine lawyer Emanuel Zeltser, who is in the detention center in Minsk.
US Charge d’Affaires in Belarus Jonathan Moore told it to BelaPAN.
“We asked to allow an American doctor to examine him again and then tell us about his health. But we haven’t received this permission yet,” Jonathan Moore said.
“Unfortunately, we lost an opportunity to solve this case in court that upheld the judgement,” Jonathan Moore said. “But I don’t think it is the end. There are other possibilities for him to be released,” the Charge d’Affaires said.
The American diplomat stressed that there is no “political context” in Emanuel Zeltser’s case.
“It is a simple case of an American citizen. He is a very ill man, who has been in prison since March 12,” Jonathan Moore said.
David J. Kramer, Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights and Labor, speaking to the US Senate on September 17, said that another key issue in improving the relations between the US and Belarus was Belarusian authorities’ treatment of imprisoned US citizen Emanuel Zeltser.
According to David Kramer, despite many repeated requests, the US embassy was allowed consular access to Mr. Zeltser only five times and was denied access to his closed trial.
Emanuel Zeltser and his secretary, Russian citizen Vladlena Funk were detained at the National Airport Minsk on March 12. On August 11, for attempted industrial espionage and the use of fake documents Emanuel Zeltser was sentenced to 3years and Funk for one year of imprisonment. They both deny their guilt.
The US citizen is also accused of drug smuggling but this accusation was lifted as the court regarded the drugs to be medicaments that Zeltser has been using for the last 15 years.
The US seeks for Mr Zeltser's release on humanitarian grounds, saying that his health has deteriorated without the prescribed medicines. In August the US Embassy send all necessary drugs to Belarus, but they haven’t been given to E. Zeltser. Meanwhile, due medical care for Zeltser has been named one of the key conditions for normalization of American-Belarusian relations.
US law firm Patton Boggs has urged the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to reject Belarus’ request for a $2-billion reserve loan unless American lawyer Emanuel Zeltser is released from prison. Freedom House, an international human rights watchdog, has sent a similar petition to the IMF.
