BELARUS NEWS AND ANALYSIS

DATE:

26/06/2008

American doctor examines arrested US lawyer Emanuel Zeltser in Belarus KGB jail

An American doctor was examining Emanuel Zeltser, an arrested US lawyer who is said to be seriously ill, in Minsk this morning, news agency BelaPAN reports. On May 27, Zeltser was charged with drug smuggling over medications that he brought into Belarus. Neither the KGB nor the counsel of the accused would disclose details of the case. According to Dmitry Harachka, Zeltser's defense counsel, the case has the status of a state secret, Khartiya'98 marks.

AIA repeatedly noted that Zeltser and his secretary Vladlena Funk were arrested by the Belarus State Security Commitee upon their arrival in Minsk on March 12. The two were put into the KGB detention centre and charged with using fake documents. Harachka did not identify the American doctor by name and did not say how many Belarusian doctors attended the examination. He said that the results of the health check could be made public.

The Belarusian Foreign Ministry authorized the American doctor's visit following talks with the US embassy. Zeltser and Funk weree expected to start studying papers in the criminal case against them on June 30, online paper Khartiya' 97 reported citing their lawyer Dmitry Harachka

Source:

http://www.axisglobe.com/article.asp?article=1586

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