Belarus Sentences German Man to Death for 'Mercenary Activity'

A German combat medic accused by Belarus of committing crimes including "terrorism" and "mercenary activity" has been sentenced to death by firing squad, a Belarusian rights group said Friday.

Rico Krieger, 30, was convicted under six articles of Belarus's criminal code in a secretive trial held at the end of June, the Viasna Human Rights Centre reported.

Part of the proceedings were held behind closed doors, the exact allegations against him were not immediately clear and Belarus's official news agency did not report anything about his case.

The case may be linked to the Kalinouski Regiment, a group of Belarusian volunteer fighters that are fighting against Russia in the war in Ukraine, Viasna reported.

According to a LinkedIn profile that Viasna said belonged to Krieger, he worked as a medical worker for the German Red Cross and as an armed security officer for the US embassy in Berlin.

This was the first time someone has been tried for mercenary activity in Belarus, the group said.

Belarusian opposition leader Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, who lives in exile, said Friday she was "concerned" by the reports and was "collecting more information on his case."

Belarus is the only European country that has the death penalty, reserving it for serious crimes including murder under aggravating circumstances, terrorism and treason.

It was not immediately clear whether Krieger had appealed the sentence.

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A source at the German foreign ministry told AFP that it "and the embassy in Minsk are providing the person in question with consular services and are making intensive representations to the Belarussian authorities on his behalf."

The source added that "the death penalty is a cruel and inhuman form of punishment that Germany rejects under all circumstances."

Death penalty

The Kalinouski Regiment, named after Polish-Belarusian writer Kastus Kalinouski, is one of many foreign-founded volunteer units fighting alongside the Ukrainian army.

It is considered an extremist group in Belarus, a close ally of Russia.

It is still not clear what connection Krieger may have had to the group, but Belarusian opposition media reported that he may have been linked to a unit within Kalinouski known as the "Western" battalion. 

He was convicted of six crimes, said Viasna: "unlawful acts related to firearms," "the disabling of transport or communication routes," "creation of or participation in an extremist group," "intelligence activity," "mercenary activity" and "terrorism."

Belarus is reported to have executed as many as 400 people since it gained independence from the Soviet Union in 1991, according to Amnesty International, but executions of foreign citizens are rare.

The country is run as an authoritarian regime by long-time leader Alexander Lukashenko, who has detained thousands of dissidents and civic activists who oppose him.

In a surprise move on Wednesday, Minsk announced it would open its borders visa-free to nationals of 35 European countries for 90-day trips, in a bid to improve frosty relations with the West.