American Emanuel Zeltser on third day of hunger strike in Belarusian prison

• 11.06.2009, 9:08

On Thursday, representatives of the US Embassy will visit Mahilou where US national Emanuel Zeltser serves his sentence.

US national Emanuel Zeltser, serving term in Mahilou penal colony #15, has been on hunger strike for the third day.

The American is not going to stop his hunger strike, Euroradio learnt from lawyer Zmitser Harachka, who visited his client on June 10. Health of the prisoner, who has been in the colony medical unit since autumn 2008, causes great concern.

The Minsk City Court hasn’t sent a notice, saying government bodies and Belarusian citizens don’t have any claims to Emanuel Zeltser, to the Mahilou penal colony yet. The American citizen, sentenced to three years of imprisonment for commercial espionage and the use of fake documents last year, can’t be included in the amnesty without this notice.

Emanuel Zeltser and his secretary Vladlena Funk were detained in Minsk on March 12, 2008. On August 11, the Minsk City Court sentenced Emanuel Zeltser to three years of imprisonment for the use of fake documents and attempted commercial espionage. His secretary Vladlena Funk (Bruskova) was sentenced to one year of imprisonment.

All trials were held behind closed doors.

Media supposed earlier that Zeltser’s arrest was related to a dispute over estate of businessman Badri Patarkatsishvili, died in London. Zeltser is for Soviet emigrant, he is an expert in organized crime and money laundering in Russia and former Soviet republics.

The Unites States demands to release Emanuel Zeltser on humanitarian grounds immediately as his health has seriously deteriorated in prison.