German national sentenced to death in Belarus

Berlin’s diplomats have denounced the trial of Rico Krieger, who was found guilty of terrorism

A German national has been sentenced to death in Belarus, diplomats in Berlin have told the German public news broadcaster Tagesschau. A Minsk court found 29-year-old Rico Krieger guilty of terrorism-related charges, and reasoned that he also may have fought alongside the Ukrainian military against Russian troops.

According to Tagesschau on Friday the “Foreign Ministry and the embassy in Minsk are providing the affected [person] with consular services and are actively communicating with Belarus authorities on his behalf.” Berlin views the death penalty as a “cruel and inhumane form of punishment, which Germany denounces under any circumstances,” according to the diplomats.

Earlier that same day, Belarusian opposition group Viasna claimed that the guilty verdict against Krieger had been passed on June 24. The German national was supposedly found guilty of “mercenary activity,” “agent activity,” “act of terrorism,” “creation of an extremist formation,” “intentional disrepair of a vehicle or communication lines,” as well as “illegal actions in relation to firearms, ammunition and explosives.”

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The group’s article claimed that Krieger was born in Berlin, had worked as a special security officer at the State Department in Berlin as well as a rescue medic for the German Red Cross.

Belarusian authorities reportedly believe that Krieger had arranged an “explosion in order to influence decision-making by authorities, intimidate the population, destabilize public order.” It is not clear from the piece what incident the Belarusian authorities were referring to.

Citing unnamed human rights activists,Viasna suggested that the condemned man may have been part of the Kastus Kalinouski unit of the Ukrainian military, which is primarily comprised of Belarusian citizens.

Since the Ukraine conflict escalated in February 2022, there have been numerous reports of foreigners joining irregular forces to fight against Russia. Moscow has described them as mercenaries and legitimate targets for the Russian military.

Commenting on the case on Friday, Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya wrote in a post on X (formerly Twitter) that “from what we know, [Krieger] was accused of several so-called ‘extremism’ related crimes.”

Krieger was allegedly detained in November 2023, with his trial being held partially behind closed doors, Viasna claimed. According to the opposition group, it is not clear whether the man has appealed the verdict yet.

The case, which is presumably the first revolving around mercenary activity in Belarus, has not been covered by local state media, according to Viasna.