BELARUS NEWS AND ANALYSIS

DATE:

13/08/2008

American Gets 3 Years in Belarus

MINSK - A Belarussian court jailed a U.S. lawyer for three years on Monday on charges of industrial espionage and carrying forged documents, a verdict certain to plunge relations between the two countries deeper into crisis.

The trial of New York-based lawyer Emmanuel Zeltser, a specialist in Russian law and organized crime, was held behind closed doors. The verdict was announced by the defendant's lawyer, Dmitry Goryachko.

"My position is that he did not commit these crimes," Goryachko said. "We will, of course, be making an appeal."

Zeltser's secretary, Vladlena Bruskova, was jailed for a year.

The U.S. State Department has repeatedly expressed concern over his arrest and sought his release for ill health.

On Monday, the U.S. Embassy said it could not judge whether the trial met international standards as it had not been present. It repeated calls to be granted access to Zeltser.

"We have not been granted consular access to him for more than two months," it said. "We : call upon the Belarussian authorities to provide him with all the medication which has been prescribed to him."

Zeltser was detained in March on his arrival in Belarus, where he was to represent the interests of Josef Kay, a relative of the late Georgian businessman Badri Patarkatsishvili.

Zeltser was initially charged with using forged documents. Other accusations were added later.

Goryachko repeated his call for authorities to allow Zeltser to use U.S.-produced medicines to treat a back ailment, as Belarussian drugs had proved ineffective.

Source:

http://www.moscowtimes.ru/articles/detail.php?ID=369724

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