“Consultations” are underway between Berlin and Minsk after the death sentence of a German citizen in Belarus

He is accused of “terrorism” and “mercenarism” and has been sentenced to death. Belarus and Germany are currently holding discussions regarding the fate of a German national, a spokesman for the country’s diplomacy reported on Saturday, July 20.

“Concrete solutions, based on the existing possibilities for changing the situation, were proposed by the Belarusian side”Minsk’s foreign ministry spokesman Anatoly Glaz said on X. “Consultations are being held on this subject” between the diplomacies of the two countries, he added, without detailing these possible solutions, such as that of an exchange, nor the facts attributed to the accused. Until now, Belarus, an authoritarian regime allied with Moscow, had maintained secrecy around this affair, by not evoking it publicly.

On Friday, the Belarusian NGO Viasna, which specializes in monitoring political repression, announced that it had received confirmation that Rico Krieger had been sentenced to death on June 24 by a court in Minsk. According to this source, he is a 30-year-old military doctor. The case is said to be linked to the Kastus Kalinouski regiment, made up of Belarusians fighting the Russian army alongside Ukraine. Viasna claims that Rico Krieger, arrested in Belarus in November 2023, was accused in particular of “mercenary work”, “act of terrorism” and “creation of an extremist organization”.