Belarusian President Pardons German on Death Row Amidst High-Stakes International Talks

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has pardoned German national Rico Krieger, who was sentenced to death on terrorism charges. Concurrently, Russia is involved in negotiations with the West regarding a potential exchange of prisoners, including U.S. reporter Evan Gershkovich. This move comes amidst Belarus' controversial application of the death penalty.

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has issued a pardon for Rico Krieger, a German citizen condemned to death on terrorism and other charges, according to the state news agency BelTA on Tuesday.

Russia, a close ally of Belarus, is currently in discussions with the West on a possible prisoner exchange involving U.S. reporter Evan Gershkovich, who has been convicted on spying charges he denies, and other Western detainees in Russia. Key to these negotiations is the potential inclusion of Vadim Krasikov, a Russian serving a life sentence in Germany for murder.

Germany confirmed this month that one of its nationals had received a death sentence in Belarus, the only European country still enforcing the death penalty. Krieger had recounted in a recent State TV interview that Ukraine's SBU security service had directed him to photograph military sites and plant explosives on a train line in Belarus. The explosion occurred without causing injuries. Despite his claims of regret and hope for a pardon, it is unclear if his statements were made under duress.

Lukashenko emphasized that, as President, he has the final say on Krieger's case, inviting those involved for consultations. The BelTA published a photo of Lukashenko with five individuals, including Krieger's lawyer. Vladimir Gorbach, Krieger's lawyer, described the meeting as 'frank' and expressed hope for a 'humanitarian act' from the President.

(With inputs from agencies.)