The Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has pardoned the German who was sentenced to death. This is reported by the Belarusian state news agency Belta. The agency had previously reported on a meeting between Lukashenko and the convicted man’s lawyer, who had previously submitted an official request for clemency to the president.
The 29-year-old German was sentenced to death in June for, among other things, alleged mercenary activity and terrorism on behalf of the Ukrainian secret service SBU.
Belarusian state television recently showed the convicted man, a paramedic, in a video in which he pleaded guilty and asked for mercy. According to Belarusian media reports, he admitted to photographing military installations on behalf of the Ukrainian security service SBU. He also received a backpack, which he left on the tracks at a train station southeast of Minsk. According to reports, the backpack exploded before a train arrived and no one was injured.
Belarus is the last country in Europe to carry out the death penalty, namely by shooting someone in the back of the neck.
Foreign Office confirms pardon
The Foreign Office in Berlin confirmed the pardon to the news agency dpa. “This is a relief,” said a spokeswoman. The Foreign Office had previously condemned the death penalty and announced that the German citizen would receive consular assistance. The way the man was treated was “unbearable.” However, the German government did not comment on information from the Belarusian Foreign Ministry that Minsk had made a negotiation proposal to resolve the case.
The Belarusian opposition had suspected that Lukashenko would demand a high price for a pardon. It had been speculated that Lukashenko could demand the release of a Russian convicted in Berlin of murder in the Tiergarten on behalf of Russian President Vladimir Putin, on whom he is politically and economically dependent. Belarusian media had also reported on negotiations between the two countries in the background.
The Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has pardoned the German who was sentenced to death. This is reported by the Belarusian state news agency Belta. The agency had previously reported on a meeting between Lukashenko and the convicted man’s lawyer, who had previously submitted an official request for clemency to the president.
The 29-year-old German was sentenced to death in June for, among other things, alleged mercenary activity and terrorism on behalf of the Ukrainian secret service SBU.
Belarusian state television recently showed the convicted man, a paramedic, in a video in which he pleaded guilty and asked for mercy. According to Belarusian media reports, he admitted to photographing military installations on behalf of the Ukrainian security service SBU. He also received a backpack, which he left on the tracks at a train station southeast of Minsk. According to reports, the backpack exploded before a train arrived and no one was injured.