Belarusian President Lukashenko pardons German citizen sentenced to death on terrorism charges

A Telegram channel reporting on Lukashenko’s decisions did not provide further details. The German Foreign Ministry confirmed the pardon, calling it “a relief,” but did not elaborate on the implications.

Earlier, Lukashenko convened a meeting to review Krieger’s appeal. According to Krieger’s lawyer, Vladimir Gorbach, Lukashenko indicated he would consider the pardon request and announce his decision later, reported AP (Associated Press).

Krieger, arrested in October 2023, has been accused by Belarusian state media of photographing military sites and orchestrating a railway station explosion under Ukrainian orders. Belarus remains the only European country that still enforces capital punishment.

Human rights advocates have pointed out that the charges against Krieger surfaced amid ongoing political repression in Belarus, where over 35,000 people have been arrested and many beaten during a crackdown in protests against Lukashenko’s controversial re-election in August 2020.

Pavel Sapelka from the Viasna human rights group suggested that Krieger might have been targeted by Belarus’ KGB, which has been accused of setting up false charges through chat rooms disguised as Ukrainian operatives.

Speculation arises that Belarusian authorities may be coordinating with Russian intelligence agencies for a possible exchange involving Vadim Krasikov, a Russian serving a life sentence in Germany for a 2019 murder.

Russian President Vladimir Putin recently hinted at possible exchanges, including one involving Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, who was sentenced to 16 years in jail for espionage charges.

Belarus’ Foreign Ministry has communicated with German officials about Krieger’s situation and proposed potential solutions.

Germany’s Foreign Ministry expressed concern and is providing consular support, but has not released additional details.

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