US national Emanuel Zeltser was sentenced on 11 August 2008 to three years in prison for âusing false official documentsâ and âeconomic espionageâ following a closed trial. An appeal to the Belarusian Supreme Court was denied on 31 October 2008, also in a closed hearing. He is being held at a penal colony near Mogilev in eastern Belarus. His health has deteriorated further, and the Belarusian authorities are continuing to deprive him of essential medication for various ailments, including diabetes, heart problems and severe arthritis.
