Belarus sentences German medic to death, activists say

A court in Belarus has sentenced a German medic to death after he was found guilty of charges related to terrorism and mercenary activity, rights activists have said.

Rico Krieger, 30, was convicted of six crimes in a closed trial in June, Viasna, one of Belarus' top activist organisations, said in a statement. The group said he now faced execution by firing squad.

What prompted the charges remains unclear, and the country's state news agency carried no further details about the allegations in its report.

Belarus is the last country in Europe where the death penalty is still carried out. It says it reserves the sentence for serious crimes, including treason.

Viasna said that Mr Krieger's alleged crimes included mercenary work, espionage, terrorism, creating an extremist group, illegal operations with firearms and explosives.

It said it marked the first time someone had been tried in Belarus for mercenary activity.

The group, based in the Belarusian capital Minsk, said that Mr Krieger, who was working as a medic for the German Red Cross, had been in custody since November 2023.

Parts of the trial were carried out behind closed doors and Viasna added that it was unsure whether Mr Krieger has appealed against the verdict, or whether it has gone into effect.

His LinkedIn profile showed that he previously worked as a security officer at the US embassy in Berlin, before moving into healthcare working as a nurse and specialising in emergency medicine.

Viasna suggested that the charges facing Mr Krieger could stem from his alleged involvement with the Kastuś Kalinoŭski Regiment, a group of Belarusian citizens who volunteered to fight Russian soldiers in Ukraine. The BBC cannot independently verify this.

The regiment is named after the Belarusian-Polish writer, journalist and lawyer, who was executed in 1864 for leading a revolt against Russia.

It is not immediately clear what connection Mr Krieger may have had to the group. Opposition media in Belarus reported that he may have been linked to a unit within the regiment known as the "Western" battalion.

In a short statement the German foreign ministry confirmed that one of its citizens had been sentenced to death in Minsk, but it did not name Mr Krieger directly.

"The Foreign Office and the embassy in Minsk are giving the person in question consular support and are working intensively with Belarusian authorities on his behalf," the ministry said, adding Germany considered the death penalty as "a cruel and inhumane form of punishment".

"We are working worldwide for its abolition", the statement said.

In a post on X, Belarusian opposition leader, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, who lives in exile in Lithuania, said she was "concerned by news".

Alexander Lukashenko has led Belarus since 1994. He long sought to play the EU and Russia off against each other, while retaining power in Minsk.

But he has been forced to rely increasingly on Russian President Vladimir Putin since mass protests gripped the country after he claimed victory in the 2020 presidential election over Ms Tsikhanouskaya.

The West has refused to recognise his claim.