Is provocation being prepared against Zeltser?

Brother of the US national, imprisoned in Belarus, made public the details of a “helicopter escape”.

The statement was sent by fax on June 4 to Yury Zhadobin, state secretary of the Security Council; KGB head Vadzim Zaitsau; prosecutor general Ryhor Vasilevich; foreign minister Syarhei Martynau; minister of internal affairs Anatol Kulyashou; head of Lukashenka’s Administration Uladzimir Makei, BelaPAN reports.

The statement says Sergei Mikerov, who also calls himself Alik has been phoning to Mark Zeltser since April 9, 2009.

“He said he had been released from penal colony #15 in Mahilou where Emanuel Zeltser is kept. According to him, he “was hired by the KGB to spy upon Emanuel, but later he made friends with Zeltser and suggests a plan of escape, possibly by helicopter,” the statement says.

Mark Zeltser tells that on April 15, he informed “the US Department of State, the US Embassy in Minsk, FBI, CIA, Belarusian Embassy in Washington, Belarusian governmental agencies” about this. However, he continues to receive phone calls about the escape, the last call was made on June 3. The brother of the prisoner attached a list of phone numbers he received calls from and noticed he has records of all conversations.

Mark Zeltser regards these calls as “provocative actions of the Belarusian authorities” to “catch Emanuel, who is seriously ill, during the so called escape”. He urges “to stop provocative actions against his brother immediately and punish the persons involved in this crime”.

As Emanuel Zeltser’s lawyer Zmitser Harachka told on June 4, the administration of the penal colony hasn’t received necessary documents from the Minsk City Court and doesn’t have any formal grounds for considering a question on amnesty.

The lawyer thinks Zeltser falls within the law on amnesty signed by the Belarusian president on May 5 and published on May 7. The law provides for release of persons, not mentioned in articles 1 and 2 of the law, sentenced to not more than 6 years and having served at least a quarter of the term. Zeltser, arrested on March 12, 2008, sentenced to three years, served enough to be amnestied.

Emanuel Zeltser was detained on March 12, 2008. On August 11, he was sentenced to three years of imprisonment for attempted commercial espionage. He didn’t admit his guilt. On October 31, the Supreme Court of Belarus upheld the decision. All trials were held behind the closed doors.

The United States repeatedly called on the Belarusian authorities to release Zeltser on humanitarian grounds as his health deteriorated seriously. The lawyers and relatives say the judgement to Zeltser is equal to death sentence because of his bad health condition. They think the prisoner may not survive his detention.