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Washington continues to urge Belarusian authorities to release American lawyer Zeltser

Washington continues to urge the Belarusian authorities to release American lawyer Emanuel Zeltser imprisoned in Mahilyow, the US Department of State said in a statement on December 10, BelaPAN said.

"In the interest of Mr. Zeltser`s immediate welfare and his need for lifesaving medical care, we continue to strongly urge the Belarusian authorities to release Mr. Zeltser on humanitarian grounds before this situation takes an irrevocable turn," the statement reads.

The 54-year-old Zeltser suffers a very ill health.

The Belarusian authorities allowed an American doctor to examine the US lawyer this past summer, describing the permission as unprecedented. The doctor concluded that Mr. Zeltser`s health was "in a very poor state" and "rapidly deteriorating."

Following the transfer of the lawyer to the correctional institution in Mahilyow following which he was immediately placed into the prison`s medical unit, the US embassy requested the Belarusian authorities to allow an American medical professional to examine the prisoner one more time or put him into a public hospital. Both requests were denied.

The US Department of State said in the statement that Mr. Zeltser was last visited by a US Embassy official on November 19.
It said that it did not agree that "all necessary resources, including medication, are available for Mr. Zeltser`s medical care," as claimed by the Belarusian authorities.

"During our November visit, the prison doctor requested that we help procure six additional medications for Mr. Zeltser, which we have done with the assistance of his lawyer," it said.

"The well-being of American citizens abroad is the top priority for the Department of State. The US Embassy in Minsk and the Department of State will continue to provide full consular services to Emanuel Zeltser as long as he remains imprisoned in Belarus," the statement reads.

On August 11, Mr. Zeltser was sentenced to three years in prison on charges of "attempted industrial espionage" and the use of fake documents. His secretary, Russian national Vladlena Funk, was sentenced to one year in prison on the same charges. The Minsk City Court held the trial behind closed doors and no details of the case were disclosed to the public.

The pair were arrested upon their arrival in Minsk in March and put into the KGB detention center.

Ms. Funk is set to appeal for early release.