Belarusian authorities didn’t allow Vladlena Funk fly to US

It was found out that Zeltser’s secretary had a ticket to the United States, but she couldn’t leave Belarus.

Alyaksandr Harlenka, head of citizenship and migration department of the militia department of the Homel region executive committee, said a procedure of expulsion of Russian citizen Vladlena Funk from Belarus was carried out “in the frames established by the law”.

He confirmed that a decision on forceful expulsion of Funk had been taken by the internal affairs department of the Chyhunachny district of Homel. A. Harlenka also said it had been planned to expel the Russian citizen from March 12 to March 14, but later “an order of expulsion had been prolonged for a period, necessary for expulsion”.

The official said why Funk couldn’t leave the country wilfully: “This procedure is the same for all foreigners, who have committed a crime in Belarus”. Alyaksandr Harlenka refused to say the exact date of the expulsion of the Russian citizen.

Lawyer Zmitser Harachka finds groundless such attitude of the authorities towards his client. According to him, regulation of the Council of Ministers #146 provides enforced expulsion of foreigners and stateless people, when there are grounds to suppose they can evade leaving the country or they haven’t left the country within a given period.

Vladlena Funk was ready to leave Belarus on the day she was released from the penal colony of Homel. She had a ticket to the US for March 12, the lawyer told in an interview to BelaPAN. The citizen of Russian wasn’t given this opportunity – just after the release she was guarded to the temporary detention facility of Homel, where she was said about forceful expulsion.

It was planned to expel Funk until March 14, but later a procedure of expulsion was prolonged for an indefinite period.

It should be reminded that on March 12, Vladlena Funk (Bruskova), secretary of US lawyer Emanuel Zeltser, was released from penal colony, where she had served punishment on accusation of complicity in attempted industrial espionage. She was transferred to a temporary detention facility from the colony. A stamp was made in her passport which bans her entry to the territory of Belarus for 10 years.

According to the lawyer, conditions in the temporary detention facility are bad.

“It’s worse than staying in a colony or in a detention center. There is no bed in the cell, Funk has to sleep on the floor. She was given a mattress and bed-linen, but she has no water,” Zmitser Harachka told in an interview to radio Svaboda.

The lawyer also said he would appeal against keeping of Vladlena Funk in the temporary detention facility as unlawful.

Mother of the detained Valentina Bruskova is in Belarus now. She and lawyer Z. Harachka are seeking for release of her daughter.

According to the law, a person can be kept only 10 days in a temporary detention facility.