Death sentence in Minsk: German doctor faces execution
The district court in Minsk has issued a death sentence in the case of a German citizen, as reported by the opposition channel MotolkoPomogi on Telegram. According to foreign media, the convicted individual is 30-year-old Rico Krieger. The Human Rights Centre Viasna states that he is a military doctor for the Red Cross.
The convicted man was accused of mercenarism, espionage, an act of terrorism, creating an extremist formation, deliberate destruction of a means of transport, and illegal actions involving weapons.
The opposition channel MotolkoPomogi, run by activist Anton Motolka, reported on Telegram that Krieger was sentenced to death by execution. Meanwhile, the Human Rights Centre Viasna has stated that they do not have confirmation of this information at present but are attempting to clarify the fate of the German citizen.
Independent Belarusian and Russian media reported that Krieger appeared before the court. The trial began on 6 June, and 12 hearings have since taken place. Judge Aleh Lapeka presided over the proceedings. The sentence was passed on 24 June. It is not known if an appeal has been filed.
Death penalty in Belarus. German citizen sentenced to death by execution
Human rights defenders from Viasna do not have information on the specific charges brought against Krieger, and official structures have not reported any arrests in a similar case.
The Zierkało portal states that Krieger had been working as a paramedic since 2021. From 2014 to 2017, he was reportedly a security guard at the US embassy in Berlin.
The German Foreign Ministry has said that Berlin remains in intensive contact with the authorities in Minsk regarding his fate. "The case is known to the foreign ministry. The foreign ministry and the embassy in Minsk are providing consular support to the person concerned and are working hard on his behalf with the Belarusian authorities," read the statement.
Belarus is the only country in Europe and the post-Soviet Commonwealth of Independent States where the death penalty is still carried out. The sentence is executed by shooting.
According to estimates by human rights defenders, since the establishment of an independent Belarus, about 400 executions have been carried out.
