A German man, Rico Krieger, has been sentenced to death in Belarus. The 29-year-old is accused of crimes including terrorism and “mercenary activity”.
Krieger reportedly was sentenced to execution by firing squad.
Belarusian human rights organisation Viasna broke the news on July 19. Krieger is an employee of the German Red Cross and the sentencing took place on June 24, partially behind closed doors.
Belorussian official agencies did not report anything about his detention or the trial results.
According to Viasna, Krieger was convicted of terrorism and other related charges alleging he orchestrated an explosion to influence governmental decision-making, intimidate the public and destabilise social order. The court noted Krieger had previously allegedly acted as part of an organised group.
Viasna claimed that the explosion referred to in the case remained unspecified but Lenta, a Russian online newspaper, connected it with a foiled “terrorist attack” in an administrative building of the Russian province of Karelia.
In that case, a Belarussian man reportedly planned to blow up a building in the city of Olonets. During his arrest, the attacker opened fire and was “eliminated” by the security forces.
According to the news agency, the terrorist was a member of the “Kastuś Kalinoŭski Regiment”, banned in Belarus, and was on the interstate wanted list. The Regiment is a group of Belarusian opposition volunteers fighting in Ukraine against the Russians.
In Belarus, it is classified as an “extremist group” and “nationalist organisation”.
Human rights advocates have also reported that Krieger’s case was connected to the Kastuś Kalinoŭski Regiment, specifically its foreign mechanised Western Unit. Krieger reportedly served as a military doctor in this formation.
His career began in law enforcement, where he served as a special security officer at the State Department in Berlin.
Later, Krieger transitioned to the healthcare sector. He initially worked as a nurse before specialising in emergency medicine. Prior to his current situation, he was employed as a rescue medic for the German Red Cross, putting his emergency medical technician skills to use.
Krieger is the father of a young child.
In response to a German news organisation Tagesschau request, the German Foreign Office said it was aware of the case. “The Federal Foreign Office and the Embassy in Minsk provide consular support to the person concerned and are working intensively on his behalf with the Belarusian authorities,” it said.
It added that the death penalty was “a cruel and inhumane form of punishment that Germany rejects under all circumstances.
“We are campaigning worldwide for its abolition and intensively against its enforcement with all those affected.”
Belarus stands as the sole European nation that continues to implement capital punishment. The country maintains a policy of secrecy surrounding executions, withholding information on execution dates and burial locations from the condemned individuals’ families.
That makes it unclear how many people have been put to death since the nation’s independence in 1992. Amnesty International claims around 400 people have been executed in Belarus, of whom a few were foreigners.
Belarus said on July 17 it would introduce a 90-day-visa-free regime for citizens of 35 European countries in a sign Minsk may be keen to ease tensions with the West.
Employee of the German Red Cross sentenced to death in Belarus
Rico Krieger was born in Berlin and worked as a rescue medic for the German Red Cross. The man had a minor child at home.https://t.co/4YzaNTvyK6 pic.twitter.com/bxbIhrjeA8
— Viasna (@viasna96) July 19, 2024
