Belarus ‘ready to carry out’ death sentence against German citizen convicted of terrorism

The authorities in Belarus are now ready to put a German citizen who was found guilty of “terrorism” in June to death, state-run news outlet Belarus Today reported on Monday.

Rico Krieger, a former German Red Cross employee, did not plan to appeal the verdict, according to Belarus Today, though that information could not be independently confirmed.

Although the sentence has now legally come into force, no date appears to have been set for Krieger’s execution by firing squad.

According to prosecutors, the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) had issued Krieger with instructions to carry out reconnaissance and take photographs of Belarusian military installations in October. Krieger was also found guilty of planting explosives on a railway line and causing an explosion on 5 October.

Belarusian human rights organisation Viasna confirmed Krieger’s conviction on Friday, saying he had been found guilty on multiple counts of extremism, terrorism and mercenary activity relating to his involvement with a battalion of foreign fighters who served as part of a Belarusian military formation within the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

A spokesperson for the battalion told Novaya Gazeta Europe on Saturday that it had no ties to Krieger, and accused the Belarusian authorities of attempting to discredit them.

The German Foreign Ministry stressed that despite not recognising the legitimacy of Belarus dictator Alexander Lukashenko, it still had an embassy in Minsk that had been providing Krieger “with intensive consular support from the very beginning” and had also been “actively defending his interests to the Belarusian authorities," Deutsche Welle reported on Monday.

Belarus is the only country in Europe where the death penalty remains in force, with at least 15 crimes currently punishable by death.