A courtroom in Belarus has sentenced a German medic to loss of life after he was discovered responsible of prices associated to terrorism and mercenary exercise, rights activists have mentioned.
Rico Krieger, 30, was convicted of six crimes in a closed trial in June, Viasna, one in every of Belarus’ prime activist organisations, mentioned in a press release. The group mentioned he now confronted execution by firing squad.
What prompted the costs stays unclear, and the nation’s state information company carried no additional particulars in regards to the allegations in its report.
Belarus is the final nation in Europe the place the loss of life penalty continues to be carried out. It says it reserves the sentence for critical crimes, together with treason.
Visana mentioned that Mr Krieger’s alleged crimes included mercenary work, espionage, terrorism, creating an extremist group, unlawful operations with firearms and explosives.
It mentioned it marked the primary time somebody had been tried in Belarus for mercenary exercise.
The group, primarily based within the Belarusian capital Minsk, mentioned that Mr Krieger, who was working as a medic for the German Crimson Cross, had been in custody since November 2023.
Components of the trial had been carried out behind closed doorways and Viasna added that it was not sure whether or not Mr Krieger has appealed towards the decision, or whether or not it has gone into impact.
His LinkedIn profile confirmed that he beforehand labored as a safety officer on the US embassy in Berlin, earlier than transferring into healthcare working as a nurse and specialising in emergency medication.
Viasna recommended that the costs dealing with Mr Krieger might stem from his alleged involvement with the Kastuś Kalinoŭski Regiment, a bunch of Belarusian residents who volunteered to combat Russian troopers in Ukraine. The BBC can’t independently confirm this.
The regiment is known as after the Belarusian-Polish author, journalist and lawyer, who was executed in 1864 for main a revolt towards Russia.
It isn’t instantly clear what connection Mr Krieger could have needed to the group. Opposition media in Belarus reported that he could have been linked to a unit throughout the regiment often called the “Western” battalion.
In a brief assertion the German overseas ministry confirmed that one in every of its residents had been sentenced to loss of life in Minsk, but it surely didn’t title Mr Krieger immediately.
“The Overseas Workplace and the embassy in Minsk are giving the particular person in query consular help and are working intensively with Belarusian authorities on his behalf,” the ministry mentioned, including Germany thought of the loss of life penalty as “a merciless and inhumane type of punishment”.
“We’re working worldwide for its abolition”, the assertion mentioned.
In a submit on X, Belarusian opposition chief, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, who lives in exile in Lithuania, mentioned she was “involved by information”.
Alexander Lukashenko has led Belarus since 1994. He lengthy sought to play the EU and Russia off towards one another, whereas retaining energy in Minsk.
However he has been pressured to rely more and more on Russian President Vladimir Putin since mass protests gripped the nation after he claimed victory within the 2020 presidential election over Ms Tsikhanouskaya.
The West has refused to recognise his declare.
