Vladlena's Hostage Ordeal
As reported here and by major
international media, in 2008-2009 Vladlena was held captive by the
Belarusian KGB for over a year in a high-profile US-Belarus
hostage crisis, together with American lawyer Emanuel Zeltser,
director of American Russian Law Institute, a non-for-profit
non-governmental public policy research and advisory organization.
On March 11, 2008, Mr. Zeltser and Vladlena had been abducted in
London U.K. by the Belarusian KGB operatives. Both were drugged
and secretly renditioned across international borders to Belarus
aboard a private jet belonging to Boris Berezovsky, a notorious
Russian “oligarch” and close friend of the Belarusian dictator
Alyaksander Lukashenka. Berezovsky is wanted by the Interpol for
fraud, money laundering, participation in organized crime and
transnational financial crimes.
Upon landing in Minsk Belarus, Vladlena and Mr. Zeltser had been
immediately detained by the personal guard of Lukashenka,
Belarusian illegally elected president, according to the U.S.
Department of State. Mr. Zeltser and Vladlena were transported to
“Amerikanka”, the Belarusian dreaded KGB detention facility of the
Stalin era. There both had been repeatedly tortured, denied
critical medications and told that they would remain in captivity
indefinitely unless the United States lifts sanctions against Mr.
Lukashenka and Belneftekhim. Mr. Zeltser and Vladlena had been
held hostage by the Belarusian KGB for 478 days and 378 days
respectively.
Neither Vladlena nor Mr. Zeltser had been lawfully “arrested,”
“charged” “indicted,” “tried” or “convicted” within the meaning of
Belarusian or international law. Both had been unlawfully seized
in London, U.K., and held hostage - - in blatant violation of the
laws of nations, multilateral treaties and of Belarus’ own law.
During their unlawful confinement, Vladlena and Mr. Zeltser had
been subjected to torture and other cruel and degrading treatment,
denied critical medication and were told that they would remain in
captivity indefinitely unless the United States lifts sanctions
against Belarus and Lukashenko.
Vladlena’s and Mr. Zeltser’s seizure, torture and unlawful
detention sparked international outrage and significant press
coverage, apparently unexpected by the Belarusian authorities. The
U.S. Department of State and members of the U.S. Congress
repeatedly demanded the release of the hostages. World leaders,
the European Parliament and international human rights
organizations joined in the U.S. call for immediate release of
Vladlena and Mr. Zeltser. Amnesty International has repeatedly
issued emergency alerts respecting “torture and other
ill-treatment” of Mr. Zeltser.
Ihar Rynkevich, a prominent Belarusian legal expert and Press
Secretary of the Belarus Helsinki Commission said in an interview:
"This is yet another shameful case for the Belarusian judiciary
for which more than one generation of Belarusian legal experts
will blush".
A strongly worded letter from the New York City Bar Association to
Lukashenko condemned KGB abuse of Vladlena and Mr. Zeltser and
demanded their immediate release. The Bar Association letter
expressed “great concern about the arrests and detention of
Vladlena Funk and Emanuel Zeltser and the reports of physical
mistreatment of Mr. Zeltser” and noted that this conduct is
inconsistent with Belarus’ obligations under international
agreements, including the International Covenant on Civil and
Political Rights (ICCPR) and the Convention Against Torture and
Other Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CAT). Bar
Association letter noted that the charge, which the KGB claimed to
have brought against Mr. Zeltser and Vladlena "appears to have no
basis to it", lacks "any explanation or detail" and "concerns have
thus been reported that this is a fabricated charge, created to
justify their unlawful detention.”
Mr. Zeltser’s and Vladlena’s abduction, detention and mistreatment
in the KGB captivity was undertaken to coerce the United States to
lift sanctions against Lukashenka and other members of the
Belarusian government, and against Belarusian petrochemical
concern Belneftekhim, owned by these individuals. As such,
Belarus’s actions were and remain gross violations of the law of
nations, and universally accepted norms of the international law
of human rights, including laws prohibiting hostage taking and
state-sponsored terrorism.
Yielding to demands of international community, Belarusian
dictator Lukashenka had finally released Vladlena on March 20,
2009, and Mr. Zeltser on June 30, 2009, when a delegation of the
members of the U.S. Congress traveled to Belarus to meet with
Lukashenka regarding the hostage crisis.
US Chargé d'Affaires in Belarus, Jonathan Moore commented after
their release: “At no time have the Belarusian authorities ever
provided any indication that the charges against Mr. Zeltser and
Vladlena were legitimate. As a result, I can only conclude that
the charges in this case are thoroughly without merit; and are the
result of extra-legal motivation."
|
Irina Khalip, arrested and savagely beaten by the KGB while
reporting live for Echo Moscow |
Iryna Khalip, world renowned
Belarusian investigative correspondent and human rights champion,
winner of 2009 Courage in Journalism Award, wrote to Vladlena upon
her release: “Your KGB detention can only be compared with the
recent Somalia pirates’ abduction of the Ukrainian vessel, and is
yet another example of Lukashenko’s government-sponsored hostage
taking and violations of all norms of international behavior.”
Iryna, the wife of Andrey Sannikov, opposition presidential
contender, was savagely beaten by the KGB operatives and
imprisoned in “Amerikanka”, the same facility, in which Vladlena
and Mr. Zeltser had been held. She is charged with “inciting of
mass disorders” and facing up to 15 years behind bars.
U.S. Department of State denied making any concessions to
Lukashenka, and repeatedly said that it does not use its citizens
as “bargaining chips”. However, many in Belarus still believe that
U.S. cut a deal with Lukashenko, inducing him to release hostages
in exchange for IMF credits. Appearing on Russian TV network, NTV,
Anatoly Lebedko, Chairman of the Belarusian United Popular Party
said: “Washington was forced to pay ransom for its citizen by
providing Lukashenka the IMF credits, pure and simple; in essence,
this is hostage-taking, the practice, which is wide-spread in
Belarus elevated to the new level, where Lukashenko is not only
sending a political message but demands monetary compensation for
human freedom.” Lebedko also paid dearly for his comments. He is
now behind bars in the KGB detention despite the world's
indignation and new recent US and EU sanctions against
Lukashenko's regime.
