Mystery of German man sentenced to death in Belarus

A German man who has been sentenced to death in Belarus for terrorism has been shown in a heavily choreographed interview on state-controlled television, apparently confessing to planting explosives near a railway line.

There is no direct evidence of that in the 16-minute video for which Rico Krieger was filmed, handcuffed, through the metal bars of an oddly pristine and empty cell.

He says he was acting on instruction from Ukraine, though no proof is given.

Krieger is then shown in tears appealing to the German government for help “before it’s too late”.

He is believed to be the first Western citizen ever given the death penalty in Belarus.

The emotional and crudely produced video on state TV appears to be part of a campaign of increasing pressure in talks with the German authorities, which some believe may focus on a possible prisoner exchange.

State media say Rico Krieger has not appealed against the verdict, which is extremely rare for someone sentenced to death.

“I’m very surprised,” said Andrei Paluda, a Belarusian campaigner against the death penalty. “I don’t know the circumstances, I can only surmise. But maybe he’s been promised that consultations are ongoing and there might be some kind of swap.”

The unprecedented nature of the case has prompted speculation about links to efforts by Russia, a close ally of Belarus, to free an FSB hitman imprisoned in Germany for the 2019 murder in Berlin of a Chechen-Georgian who fought against Russia.

The deputy spokeswoman for the German foreign ministry declined to comment on such rumours. She also pointed to a history in Belarus of filming staged interviews with prisoners, including opposition activists forced to make confessions to secure their release.

The ministry told the BBC that it was working “intensively” with the Belarusian authorities on behalf of “the person concerned” in this case, but gave no more details citing privacy reasons.

It condemned the death penalty as a “cruel and inhumane form of punishment”.

Last week in Minsk, a foreign ministry spokesman confirmed that a German citizen had been convicted of “terrorism” and “mercenary activity”.

Anatoly Glaz said “a number of options” had been proposed to Berlin, adding that “consultations” were under way.

A profile for Rico Krieger on the…