Lukashenka released hostage Zeltser (Updated, photo)

US national Emanuel Zeltser was released from penal colony #15 in Mahilou in the evening June 30. The former prisoner flew to the United States at 5:30 a.m. July 1.

A decree to pardon Zeltser was signed by Lukashenka on June 30 after his meeting with a US congressional delegation. Lukashenka emphasized at the meeting that Zeltser had violated the Belarusian law. “He was detained in our country, tried in accordance with the Belarusian law, even Jonathan Moore, US charge d'affaires in Belarus, doesn’t deny this,” Lukashenka’s press service quotes him. “I’ve never though this man will be a question in the relations between our states. Well, I can pardon Emanuel Zeltser according to the Belarusian law. You ask me to do this, don’t you? If this is very important for America and our relations, if this promotes normalization of our relations, I’ll the decree today.”

Jonathan Moore, charge d'affaires of the US in Belarus welcomed the decision of the Belarusian authorities on Zeltser’s release and called it “a step forward”. “Further development of the relations depends on steps of the both sides,” he said.

In August 2008, the Minsk City Court sentenced lawyer Zeltser to three years in prison for the use of fake documents and attempted industrial espionage. The Supreme Court upheld this decision on October 31. Zeltser didn’t admit his guilt.

On June 8, Zeltser went on hunger strike protesting against actions of the Minsk City Court, which delayed sending documents for amnesty to the penal colony. On June 25, the prisoner suspended his hunger strike till the end of the month.

Arrest of Zeltser in Minsk can be related to the fact he defended Joseph Kay claiming for Georgian tycoon Badri Patarkatsishvili’s estate. It should be reminded that Russian exiled oligarch Boris Berezovsky, Alyaksandr Lukashenka’s friend, also laid a claim to the estate.

Emanuel Zeltser’s secretary Vladlena Funk was arrested with him in Belarus. She spent a year in a Belarusian penal colony and told in an interview to BelaPAN after her release that Emanuel Zeltser and she had been unconscious when they had been taken to Minsk.

“On March 11, we were in London on a business trip. We met with other lawyers. Boris Berezovsky, who lives in the Great Britain over the last few years, insisted on a meeting with Emanuel after learning about our arrival. I would like to remind that Mr Zeltser is still a lawyer in the case of Badri Patarkatsishvili’s legacy. According to the will, both wives of Patarkatsishvili are to receive 25% of his legacy, and 50% are distributed among children and relatives. Zeltser is not among the heirs certainly.

Several times Emanuel refused to meet with Berezovsky, excusing himself on the grounds of being busy, but at some stage he decided to meet with him. I suppose that during this meeting, at which some other people were present, some drug was added in our food or drinks. Investigation is to answer who had done that… But as a result, I found myself in Berezovsky’s jet that was flying to Minsk, and unconscious Zeltser was beside me. When we landed in Minsk, people in plainclothes entered the plane and forcefully dragged me into the car with tinted glass. Nobody explained where I was taken, on what grounds, and what was happening to Zeltser. We were taken to the KGB from the start, and I had been there since March 12 till November,” she told.

To all appeals of arrested Vladlena Funk to meet with a representative of the Russian consulate or to call her family she was told that it was forbidden. During interrogations she was demanded to sign a statement that Zeltser and Joseph Kay (a distant relative of Patarkatsishvili, appointed executor of the will) committed fraud and forged documents. Only on these conditions the woman was promised “some assistance”, otherwise the case would be taken to the court. And that’s what eventually happened.

“I think that as Patarkatsishvili’s lawyer, Zeltser is posing a great threat for Berezovsky, who wants to gain control over the inheritance Initially I was told that the KGB is not particularly interested in my person, and that they needed other people, and it would be better “to sign all the documents “willingly”. Besides, it was made clear to me that Berezovsky is on friendly terms with top leadership of Belarus,” Funk said.

The Charter’97 press center congratulates Emanuel Zeltser, his family and everybody who struggled for release of the American lawyer. We wish Emanuel Zeltser speedy rehabilitation.

Photo by reuters.com