Period of US lawyer Zeltser's detention extended

The Belarusian authorities have extended the period of detention of US lawyer Emanuel Zeltser kept in custody in Minsk, his defense counsel Dzmitry Harachka told BelaPAN.

He declined to say for how long the period was extended, noting that the case had the status of state secret.

The US lawyer was arrested in the Belarusian capital city on March 12 together with his secretary, Russian citizen Vladlena Funk, upon their arrival. The two were put into the detention center of the Committee for State Security (KGB), charged under Part 2 of the Criminal Code’s Article 318 with using fake documents.

The period of detention of Ms. Funk also was extended.

Representatives of the US diplomatic mission were allowed to meet with Mr. Zeltser only two times, on March 27 and April 25

Mr. Zeltser is reported to be suffering from a poor health condition and being denied vital drugs.

Amnesty International has launched a campaign in support of the US lawyer.

The lawyer's brother, Mark Zeltser, claims that self-exiled Russian businessman Boris Berezovsky orchestrated the arrests together with spokesman Lord Bell, one of Britain's top public-relations men, and Lord Goldsmith over the assets of the late Georgian billionaire Badri Patarkatsishvili.

When Mr. Patarkatsishvili died, his assets became the subject of a dispute pitting the widow backed by Mr. Berezovsky, against his step cousin, Joseph Kay, who is represented by Mr. Zeltser.