Belarus’ authoritarian president pardons German man sentenced to death on terrorism charges

Associated Press

TALLINN, Estonia (AP) — Belarus’ authoritarian leader has granted pardon to a German citizen who has been sentenced to death on terrorism charges. It wasn’t immediately clear whether President Alexander Lukashenko’s decision means that the capital punishment will be replaced with life in prison for Rico Krieger as it’s usually done in Belarus or he will be released. A Telegram channel that reports Lukashenko’s decisions didn’t offer specifics. Krieger was convicted and sentenced to capital punishment in June. He has been in custody since his arrest in October 2023. Belarusian state media reported that he was accused of staging an explosion at a railway station on orders from Ukrainian special services.