Belarus’ authoritarian leader pardoned a German citizen who had been sentenced to death.
Rico Kroeger was arrested in October and accused of acting as a mercenary and planting explosives. But news of his death sentence only became widely known last week.
Today’s intervention Alexander Lukashenko it means his death sentence has officially been commuted to life imprisonment and he will not be executed.
The unusual nature of the case, the sudden focus – and the equally sudden pardon – have sparked speculation that Belarus may be trying to free Krieger in a high-profile swap involving prisoners in Germany and Russia, a close ally of Belarus.
This comes days after Krieger was shown in a film on Belarusian state television in tears and begging for help.
The 16-minute film released on Friday included skits involving guards with balaclavas and batons and appeared to be a crude attempt to pressure German authorities into action.
The Foreign Ministries of Berlin and Minsk confirmed that they were in negotiations. A spokesperson in Belarus said several “proposals” had been made.
Krieger is the first Westerner sentenced to death in Belarus.
In his televised confession, clearly made under duress, Mr. Krieger admitted to having planted explosives next to a railway line, allegedly on the orders of Ukrainian intelligence, the SBU.
He said he wanted to fight in Ukraine with an international legion, but was instructed to carry out a mission in Belarus first.
But the film produced no direct evidence of this and there were multiple oddities and inconsistencies in the account.
It ended with Mr. Krieger making a tearful appeal for help from the German government.
Now that he has been pardoned, state media is full of praise for Lukashenko’s “merciful” nature and condemning the Germans, claiming they abandoned their own.
A famous reporter was filmed giving the official position: the crime was very serious and unjustifiable, but Lukashenko was wise and fair – and would make “the right decision”.
It is possible that this presidential pardon is the latest in a series of hesitant gestures by Lukashenko towards the West.
Widely condemned and sanctioned after his security forces brutally suppressed mass opposition protests in 2020, he became even more isolated when he allowed Russia to use Belarusian territory for its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Lukashenko should Vladimir Putin for coming to his support during the street protests.
Now there are those who see signs that he is trying to build bridges with Europe again: he released a handful of political prisoners earlier this month.
Reports from a recent meeting with Vladimir Putin in Russia suggest it was unusually tense.
But there are other theories, including speculation that Krieger could be a key player in a complex prisoner exchange between several countries.
This can also involve Vadim Krasikov a Russian FSB assassin in prison in Germany who Russian President Vladimir Putin wants back.
Krasikov’s fate was previously linked to that of American reporter Evan Gershkovich, who was arrested in Russia and recently convicted of espionage.
His employer, the Wall Street Journal, friends and family insist this is nonsense and that he is a political hostage.
The only certain fact for now is that Mr. Krieger – who was facing death by firing squad – was spared.
What Lukashenko wants in return for this is unclear.
