BELARUS NEWS AND ANALYSIS

DATE:

26/06/2008

Belarus allows American doctor to examine jailed U.S. lawyer Emanual Zeltser

MINSK, Belarus (AP) - An American doctor on Thursday was allowed to examine Emanual Zeltser, a U.S. citizen who has been jailed for more than three months in Belarus, and confirmed that his health was failing, Zeltser's lawyer said.

The case of Zeltser _ a Russian-born lawyer whose clients include a late Georgian billionaire _ has prompted protests from the United States.

The doctor, whose name has not been released, was brought to Belarus at the request of the U.S. Embassy. It confirmed he had been allowed into the KGB jail to see Zeltser but referred all questions to Zeltser's lawyer.

The lawyer, Dmitry Gorvachko, said the doctor confirmed that Zeltser was in critical condition and said his life could be in danger if Belarusian authorities did not restore his right to receive the necessary medication.

Zeltser, 54, suffers from diabetes and other illnesses. The doctor said his blood pressure was dropping, an ulcer was growing worse and his body was rejecting the substitute medication he was being given, Gorvachko said.

Zeltser heads the non-governmental American Russian Law Institute in New York and is an expert on organized crime and money laundering, particularly in former Soviet republics such as Georgia and Belarus.

He was detained March 12 as he arrived in Belarus for meetings with unidentified clients. He was initially charged with using false documents, for which he could get three years in prison if convicted.

Belarusian authorities claimed that fake documents Zeltser was carrying were tied to the late Badri Patarkatsishvili, a billionaire who was a bitter opponent of the Georgian president.

But a court in Georgia confirmed that the documents were authentic.

The Belarusian KGB then accused him of drug smuggling and confiscated medicine from Zeltser that he says is for treating his diabetes.

The United States is one of the fiercest critics of Belarus' authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko, and relations between the two countries are at their lowest point in years.

The U.S. ambassador left in March after Belarus pulled its ambassador from Washington. Most employees of the U.S. Embassy have been expelled in recent months.

Source:

http://www.pr-inside.com/belarus-allows-american-doctor-to-examine-r668464.htm

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