German medic sentenced to death in Belarus For 'Mercenary Activity'

Belarus is the last country in Europe still to apply the death penalty, executing several people each year by firing squad.

The German Foreign Ministry confirmed on July 19 that a German national has been sentenced to death in Belarus and said Berlin was in intensive contact with authorities in Minsk over his fate.

The German ministry did not identify the man, but earlier on July 19 the Minsk-based Vyasna human rights group said that the man sentenced to death was Rico Krieger.

Vyasna said Krieger, 30, was taken into custody in November 2023, went on trial on June 6, and was sentenced on June 24 by the Minsk regional court.

The human rights group said it was the first trial in Belarus for "mercenary activity."

It said Krieger had been charged additionally with terrorism, creating an extremist group, intentionally damaging a vehicle, and illegal operations with firearms and explosives.

The Belarusian authorities have not commented on the case, and the court refused to give any information about the matter to RFE/RL by telephone.

The German Foreign Ministry said it and the German Embassy were giving "the person in question consular support and...working intensively with Belarusian authorities on his behalf."

Vyasna said the charges were connected to the Kalinouski Regiment, a group of anti-government Belarusian exiles fighting for Ukraine. The Kalinouski Regiment denies any connection to the case.

Belarusian authoritarian leader Alyaksandr Lukashenka has supported Russia in the conflict in Ukraine.

"This is the first exceptional measure of punishment for a foreigner in Belarus," human rights activist Leanid Sudalenka told RFE/RL, noting that the death penalty was used in a case not involving a murder.

He believes the verdict is not accidental and the Belarusian authorities are counting on using the case to bargain with Germany, noting the lack of a death penalty there.

The German Foreign Ministry statement said Berlin considered the death penalty "a cruel and inhuman form of punishment" and that Germany rejected it in all circumstances. Belarus is the only European country that continues to use the death penalty.

Krieger was born in Berlin and worked as a paramedic for the German Red Cross, according to Vyasna. He has a young son, who lives in Germany.

Krieger worked previously as a special security officer for the U.S. State Department in Berlin, where he gained experience in armed security operations. He then moved to the field of health care and worked as a nurse specializing in emergency medical care.

Silencing dissent continues

A former Soviet republic, Belarus is the last country in Europe still to apply the death penalty.

Many of the charges in Krieger's case carry a death sentence for sabotage-related acts by a sentenced terrorist, a law introduced in May 2022 as part of President Alexander Lukashenko's crackdown on protesters.

Lukashenko has also been subject to EU and US sanctions for his tacit support of Russia's war in Ukraine, but also his authoritarian rule and violent suppression of democracy.

Since the vast protest movement of 2020 against Lukashenko's re-election — in power since 1994 — many opponents have been charged and arrested for attempting or preparing an act of terrorism.

A number of opposition figures were sentenced to long prison terms, and independent NGOs and media were banned and branded as extremists.

It is believed that Krieger's court case is part of a recent escalation in persecution of Lukashenko's regime.

Earlier this month, the Brest regional court opened proceedings against 63-year-old Natallya Malets, who is charged with "facilitating extremist activities" for allegedly wiring funds to political prisoners 125 times. She is facing up to six years in prison.

On 8 July, the Hrodna regional court began the trial in absentia of journalist Aliaksandr Ales Kirkevich on the same charge. It remains unclear what Kirkevich, a writer and local historian, did to be charged with the offence.

The charges brought up against him in March also accuse another independent journalist, Iryna Charniauka, of the same crime.

Sources: Euronews, RFE/RL, Staff, July 19, 2024

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