(Bloomberg) -- Belarus and Germany are in talks over the fate of a German citizen accused by Minsk of being a mercenary in Ukraine and sentenced to death by firing squad.
“Taking into account the request of the German Foreign Ministry, the Belarusian side has proposed specific solutions,” the Belarusian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
The case is known to the German foreign ministry, a spokesperson told Bloomberg. The Federal Foreign Office and the German embassy in Minsk are providing consular assistance to the person concerned and working intensively with the Belarusian authorities on his behalf.
Germany hasn’t identified its citizen held in Belarus but the Viasna Human Rights Center in Minsk has named the captive as Rico Krieger, an employee of the German Red Cross.
Viasna said Krieger was charged under six articles of the Belarus criminal code, including for “mercenary activity,” firearms violations and an “act of terrorism.”
Belarus, a close Russian ally that allowed Moscow to use its territory as a staging ground for the 2022 invasion of Ukraine, is the only country in Europe that still actively uses capital punishment.
--With assistance from Petra Sorge.
©2024 Bloomberg L.P.
