Three months in Belarusian jail

Though arrested in Minsk US citizen Emanuel Zeltser’s health state is disastrous and accusations presented to him are inconsistent, he is still in jail.

As Zeltser’s lawyer Zmitser Harachka said to BelaPAN, his client wasn’t allowed to take the medicines, which are allegedly psychotropic substances illegally imported to Belarus, he is also denied of a ventilator, despite his poor tolerance of heat, besides, the arrested was shown analysis results, which are “very bad,” according to Mr Zeltser.

“The fact is that his organism hasn’t been receiving the medicines, he used to take over last 15 years,” the lawyer emphasised.

According to the lawyer, E. Zeltser can speak but walks slowly, “trying to hold to the wall.” Z. Harachka said the conditions the US lawyer had in the KGB jail were unsatisfactory: “There are two persons in the cell, which is very small and stuffy, though Zeltser is an ill man, who needs medical care.”

Mark Zeltser, brother of the arrested, said to “Belorusskie Novosti” he worried about his state of health. “I am afraid my brother is dying, but we hope the law enforcement bodies will find an opportunity to take Emanuel to hospital and examine him,” Zeltser-senior said.

US citizen Emanuel Zeltser was detained in Minsk airport on 12 March. Initially, he was charged with using fake documents by a group of people. However, this charge was dismissed later.

E. Zeltser is a lawyer of the US citizen Josef Kay, who is Badri Patarkatsishvili’s distinct relative. After Patarkatsishvili’s death on 13 February, J. Kay presented documents, proving he was an executor of his will. The documents were prepared by E. Zeltser, but B. Patarkatsishvili’s relatives say they were forged, after that E. Zeltser was detained in Minsk. On 13 May Tbilisi court has recognized Joseph Kay as a legitimate executor of the will, by this confirming the documents are authentic.

Nevertheless, on 27 May, after two and a half months, a case on part 1 of article 328 (possession and smuggling of illegal drugs) and part 2 of article 228 of the Criminal Code (drugs smuggling) was instituted against E. Zeltser. According to the rules of entry and leaving Belarus, he should have declared the medicines.

But Zeltser’s lawyer Zmitser Harachka said on 10 June he had received documents from the USA proving the medicines, seized during the detention in Minsk had been prescribed for his client, and passed copy of the documents to the investigator.

According to the lawyer, “the documents say, he has been taken the prescribed by his US physician medicines for more than 15 years.” The lawyer also noted the documents he had received from the USA, said E. Zeltser may face irreversible consequences for health if he stops taking medicines.

It should be reminded that the US Department of Stage demands the Belarusian authorities to release the American lawyer. US Consul Caroline Savage visited the arrested American lawyer in Minsk on 25 April. According to the consul, Zeltser said he “had been beaten on the second and third day of the detention.” The lawyer lost a considerable amount of weight, was very weak, had difficulty walking and talking.