A German citizen has been sentenced to death in Belarus after being charged with terrorism and mercenary activities, according to a Belarusian human rights group. <\/p>\n
The group Human Rights Center \u201cViasna\u201d said the German national is a 29-year-old German Red Cross employee named Rico Krieger. <\/p>\n
According to his LinkedIn profile, he worked as an emergency medical technician for the German Red Cross and as an armed security officer for the US Embassy in Berlin. <\/p>\n
Krieger was sentenced in the Minsk Regional Court on June 24, Viasna said on its website on Friday. <\/p>\n
Krieger was charged under six articles of the Criminal Code of Belarus, according to Viasna, including \u201cmercenary activity,\u201d \u201cagent activity,\u201d an \u201cact of terrorism,\u201d the \u201ccreation of an extremist formation,\u201d \u201cintentional disrepair of a vehicle or communication lines,\u201d and \u201cillegal actions in relation to firearms, ammunition and explosives.\u201d <\/p>\n
Viasna also reported that Krieger was found guilty of \u201carranging an explosion in order to influence decision-making by authorities, intimidate the population, [and] destabilize public order.\u201d It is unclear exactly what led up to Krieger\u2019s alleged crimes or when they occurred. <\/p>\n
\u201cThe death penalty is a cruel and inhumane form of punishment that Germany rejects under all circumstances. We are actively working worldwide to abolish it and are strongly advocating against its execution in all affected cases,\u201d the spokesperson added. <\/p>\n
Belarus says it has ensured consular access to a German national, Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Anatoly Glaz said in a statement on X. Minsk has \u201cproposed a number of options\u201d to Germany \u201cfor the development of the situation,\u201d he said, according to Belarusian state media BelTA.\u202f <\/p>\n
\u201cThere have been contacts with the German side on this topic, of course. This criminal is a German citizen and we understand the German side\u2019s concern for him,\u201d said Glaz, according to BelTA.\u201dConsultations on this topic are being held by the foreign ministries of the two countries,\u201d he added. <\/p>\n
\u201cI am concerned by news that German citizen Rico Krieger was sentenced to death by Lukashenko\u2019s regime in Belarus,\u201d exiled Belarusian opposition figure Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya said on X on Friday. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe are collecting more information on his case at the moment. From what we know, he was accused of several so-called \u2018extremism\u2019 related crimes,\u201d she added. <\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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