Emmanuel Zeltser’s lawyer refutes chairman of Supreme Court of Belarus

Chairman of the Supreme Court of Belarus said that Emanuel Zeltser, arrested US citizen, was given a copy of the judgment. However, the lawyer of the prisoner refutes this statement.

‘A copy of the judgment was given to Emanuel Zeltser’, chairman of Supreme Court Valiantsin Sukala said on 11 February. ‘The information that the court doesn’t give it is wrong’.

In this way Valiantsin Sukala commented on the information that defense of the convicted US prisoner can’t receive a copy of the judgment.

However, the Charter’97 press center has learnt from Zeltser’s lawyer Zmitser Harachka, Zeltser wasn’t given a copy of the judgment.

‘We got a copy of court record, but it is useless for us. We can’t appeal against the sentence without a copy of the verdict,’ Zmitser Harachka said. He also lodged an appeal to Valiantsin Sukala concerning the failure of the court to give a copy of the judgment.

Bear in mind that on 11 August Minsk city court sentenced US lawyer Emanuel Zeltser to three years of imprisonment in minimum security penal colony. On 31 October the Supreme Court of Belarus upheld this decision. All trials were closed. The US Department of State continues to insist on release of Emanuel Zeltser on humanitarian grounds due to bad health of the prisoner.

It should be noticed that on 11 February, six months have passed since a court judgment was delivered to Emanuel Zeltser.