BELARUS NEWS AND ANALYSIS

DATE:

28/05/2008

Belarus Rejects US Concern About Arrested Lawyer

MINSK, Belarus (AFP)--Belarus Wednesday rejected U.S. concerns about the health of an American lawyer detained in Belarus and said he faced drug trafficking charges.

A spokesman for the KGB internal security service, successor to the Soviet KGB, said the health of Emanuel Zeltser was "okay."

"Regarding Zeltser's health I can say with complete confidence that it is okay and all attempts to polemicize this issue are nothing other than pressure on the investigation," the spokesman, Valery Nadtochayev, told AFP.

Zeltser, who was detained with his secretary, Russian citizen Vladlena Funk, as they arrived from London on March 12, faces drug trafficking charges that carry up to seven years in prison, the spokesman said.

Funk, who is believed to have had U.S. residency, has been charged with the production or sale of false documents, he said.

The KGB spokesman added that the court process could be held in public as " there are no state secrets involved."

On May 19 the U.S. State Department said it was "deeply concerned" about Zeltser's deteriorating health. It said the consulate had been allowed to visit him only twice and he was being prevented from taking required daily medicine.

Washington has labeled Belarus Europe's "last dictatorship."

Relations between Belarus and the U.S. have worsened in recent weeks. Belarus has expelled most of the U.S. embassy staff in Minsk and also sharply reduced its presence in Washington.

Source:

http://www.nasdaq.com/aspxcontent/NewsStory.aspx?cpath=20080528%5cACQDJON200805281006DOWJONESDJONLINE000627.htm&&mypage=newsheadlines&title=Belarus%20Rejects%20US%20Concern%20About%20Arrested%20Lawyer

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