Minsk Regional Court Charges Former German Red Cross Employee with Mercenary Activity
By Kaila Hall
On July 19, 2024, human rights group Viasna announced1 that the Minsk Regional Court in Belarus had sentenced German citizen Rico Krieger to death. Krieger has been charged with six violations of the Belarusian Criminal Code, including “mercenary activity,” “agent activity,” “act of terrorism,” “creation of an extremist formation,” “intentional disrepair of a vehicle or communication lines,” and “illegal actions in relation to firearms, ammunition and explosives.” It is unclear what explosion the charges refer to. Viasna reported that, on June 24, Krieger was sentenced to death by firing squad.
The 29-year-old Krieger has previously worked as a medic for the German Red Cross, as well as an armed security officer in the U.S. Embassy in Berlin. Multiple sources have also confirmed that he has a minor child living in Germany.
Krieger has been held in custody since November 6th, 2023. The Belarusian Hajun Project believes2 the case “is related to the Kalinouski Regiment, specifically its unit – the ‘Western’ foreign mechanized battalion.” The Kalinouski Regiment3 denotes a Belarusian volunteer group assisting Ukraine in the war against Russia.
According to the Minsk Regional Court decision, Krieger was convicted of “arranging an explosion in order to influence decision-making by authorities, intimidate the population, destabilize public order (an act of terrorism) committed by a person who had previously committed a crime under Part 4 of Article 295 of the Criminal Code, as an organized group, that is, committing a crime under Part 3 Article 289 of the Criminal Code.” Viasna cannot confirm whether the verdict has been appealed and whether the death sentence has been carried out. The German Foreign Ministry has acknowledged Krieger’s sentence and has announced that it was communicating with Belarusian officials regarding the matter.4
International law prohibits5 the use of mercenaries during war times and in certain peaceful situations. In 1989, 46 countries, including Belarus and Germany, signed the United Nations International Convention Against the Recruitment, Use, Financing and Training of Mercenaries.6 Additionally, Article 4 of the Hague Convention V respecting the Rights and Duties of Neutral Powers and Persons in Case of War on Land7 from 1907 states that “a corps of combatants cannot be formed nor recruiting agencies opened on the territory of a neutral Power to assist the belligerents.” Article 2 of the United Nations Charter,8 Article 3 of the Geneva Conventions (1949),9 and Article 47 of Protocol I Additional to the Geneva Conventions relating to the Protection of Victims of International Armed Conflict10 (1977) all prohibit the use of mercenaries.
In terms of capital punishment, Belarus remains the only European country where it is legal. The EU has previously issued its Guidelines on the Death Penalty,11 affirming that it “has a strong and unequivocal opposition to the death penalty in all times and in all circumstances. Therefore, and encouraged by the growing momentum towards [the] abolition of the death penalty worldwide, the EU will continue its long-standing campaign against the death penalty.” The EU has previously released several statements on death penalty sentences in Belarus, including Aliaksandr Asipovich’s execution12 in 2019 and Viktor Skrundik’s death sentence13 in 2020.
Several International human rights conventions14 also prohibit capital punishment. These include the Second Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the Protocol to the American Convention on Human Rights, Protocol No. 6 to the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, and Protocol No. 13 to the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms. In 2018, the United Nations General Assembly adopted Resolution 73/175 to call for a moratorium on the use of the death penalty on the grounds that it “contributes to respect for human dignity and to the enhancement and progressive development.”
Kaila Hall is an intern at IELR. She is a rising senior at Cornell University.
[1] Viasna. “Employee of the German Red Cross Sentenced to Death in Belarus.” Spring96.org, 19 July 2024, spring96.org/en/news/115803.
[2] Belarusian Hajun Project. “X.com.” X (Formerly Twitter), 19 July 2024, x.com/Hajun_BY/status/1814274591260311954.
[3] Baboolal, Samara. “Belarus Court Sentences German National to Death on Mercenary Activity Charges.” Www.jurist.org, 20 July 2024, www.jurist.org/news/2024/07/germany-national-sentenced-to-death-at-belarus-court-for-mercenary-activity-among-other-charges/.
[4] Escritt, Thomas. “German Citizen on Belarus Death Row, Foreign Ministry Says.” Reuters, 19 July 2024, www.reuters.com/world/europe/german-citizen-sentenced-death-belarus-belarusian-human-rights-group-viasna-2024-07-19/.
[5] “OHCHR | International Standards.” OHCHR, www.ohchr.org/en/node/3383/international-standards.
[6] United Nations. “International Convention against the Recruitment, Use, Financing and Training of Mercenaries.” United Nations Treaty Collection, 4 Dec. 1989, treaties.un.org/Pages/ViewDetails.aspx?src=TREATY&mtdsg_no=XVIII-6&chapter=18&clang=_en.
[7] ICRC. “Convention (v) Respecting the Rights and Duties of Neutral Powers and Persons in Case of War on Land. The Hague, 18 October 1907.” International Humanitarian Law Databases, 1907, ihl-databases.icrc.org/applic/ihl/ihl.nsf/INTRO/200?OpenDocument.
[8] United Nations. “Charter of the United Nations.” United Nations, 1945, www.un.org/en/charter-united-nations/index.html.
[9] “OHCHR | Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War.” Www.ohchr.org, 1949, www.ohchr.org/EN/ProfessionalInterest/Pages/ProtectionOfCivilianPersons.aspx.
[10] United Nations. “Geneva Convention Relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War.” United Nations OHCHR, 12 Aug. 1949, www.ohchr.org/en/instruments-mechanisms/instruments/geneva-convention-relative-protection-civilian-persons-time-war.
[11] European Union. “EU GUIDELINES on the DEATH PENALTY.” EEAS EU, www.eeas.europa.eu/sites/default/files/08_hr_guidelines_death_penalty_en.pdf.
[12] “EU Statement on the Death Penalty in Belarus | EEAS.” Www.eeas.europa.eu, 15 Jan. 2020, www.eeas.europa.eu/delegations/council-europe/eu-statement-death-penalty-belarus_en?s=51.
[13] “EU Statement on a New Death Sentence in Belarus | EEAS.” Www.eeas.europa.eu, 11 March 2020. www.eeas.europa.eu/delegations/council-europe/eu-statement-new-death-sentence-belarus_en.
[14] Hall, Kaila. “BANGLADESH SENTENCES BOTSWANA DRUG MULE to DEATH.” IELR Blog, 6 June 2024, ielrblog.com/index.php/2024/06/06/bangladesh-sentences-botswana-drug-mule-to-death/.