EXHIBIT E
Letter of the U.S. Department of State Recognizing Plaintiff as a Wrongfully Detained U.S. Citizen
(May 2, 2025 — U.S. Department of State)
Description: Official correspondence from the U.S. Department of State confirming that Plaintiff was designated a wrongfully detained U.S. citizen pursuant to federal law.
Source: Electronic letter from the U.S. Department of State.
United States Department of State
Washington, D.C. 20520
May 2, 2025
To Whom It May Concern:
This letter serves to summarize facts known by or reported to the U.S. Department of State in Washington, D.C., concerning the Belarusian government’s wrongful detention of U.S. citizen Youras Ziankovich.
Pursuant to the Robert Levinson Hostage Recovery and Hostage-Taking Accountability Act, Section 302(c) of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021, Public Law 116-260, U.S. citizen Youras Ziankovich was determined by the U.S. Department of State to have been wrongfully detained by the government of Belarus.
From April 11, 2021, until April 30, 2025, Mr. Ziankovich was held in various Belarusian and Russian prisons, spending most of his time in Mogilev Prison, Belarus. During this period, Mr. Ziankovich was unable to travel, freely communicate, or complete documentation necessary to manage personal affairs. The U.S. Department of State has been engaged on Mr. Ziankovich’s case throughout the period of wrongful detention and remains committed to doing what is possible to support his welfare.
If you have any questions, please contact Jeremy Cassano in the Office of the Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs at (202) 485-2119 or by email at CassanoJJ@state.gov.
Sincerely,
Dustin Stewart
Acting Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs
United States Department of State