Pardoned U.S. lawyer Zeltser leaves Belarus prison

MINSK, June 30 (Reuters) - U.S. lawyer Emmanuel Zeltser walked free from a prison in Belarus on Tuesday after being pardoned by President Alexander Lukashenko, an eyewitness said.

Lukashenko earlier said he hoped his action would help improve ties with Washington.

"He walked out accompanied by prison staff and representatives of the (U.S) embassy," Nikolai Titov, a local photographer, told Reuters from outside the prison in the eastern town of Mogilyov.

"He had a bag and was wearing sports clothing. He got into an embassy car and went off." (Reporting by Andrei Makhovsky, Writing by Ron Popeski; Editing by Richard Balmforth)