Panel Revives Sovereignty Defense in Case Over Belarus Abduction
A federal appeals court has reinstated a Belarusian petrochemical company's sovereign immunity defense to a suit filed by a New York lawyer who holds the company responsible for his 2008 abduction and alleged torture at the hands of Belarusian authorities.
June 30, 2017 at 04:32 PM
14 minute read
A federal appeals court has reinstated a Belarusian petrochemical company's sovereign immunity defense to a suit filed by a New York lawyer who holds the company responsible for his 2008 abduction and alleged torture at the hands of Belarusian authorities.
In the late 1900s and early 2000s, Emanuel Zeltser of Sternik & Zeltser, a U.S. citizen who also practices law in Russia, represented a group of investors that purchased a block of stock in petrochemical company Belneftekhim and eventually secured an option to buy a controlling stake.
Following the 2006 election in Belarus, which saw the country's president, Alexander Lukashenko, re-elected with 84 percent of the vote, the United States—citing myriad human rights violations directed by government officials—imposed sanctions on Belarusian government officials and various entities in the country, including Belneftekhim.
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