BERLIN: Chancellor Olaf Scholz is aware of the case of a German national sentenced to death in Belarus and is concerned, a government spokesperson said on Friday.
Germany’s foreign ministry confirmed last week that a German national had been sentenced to death in Belarus. Belarusian human rights group Viasna identified him as Rico Krieger and said his charges related to terrorism and mercenary activity.
“Like the entire federal government, he (Scholz) is concerned about these events,” a German government spokesperson told a regular press conference when asked about the case.
Krieger has described himself as an emergency services worker.
Russia’s Tass news agency, citing footage on the Belarus-1 state TV channel, reported on Thursday that Krieger had asked Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko — an ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin — to forgive him.
Tass quoted Krieger as saying Ukraine’s SBU security service instructed him to photograph military sites in Belarus and to plant a backpack on train tracks southeast of the capital Minsk that later exploded. No one was hurt.
“I truly hope that President Lukashenko will forgive and pardon me,” Krieger said.
The local German consulate is in contact with the detainee, a spokesperson for the foreign office in Berlin said.
She criticized the practice of showing detainees in videos, adding that this violated the subject’s dignity and that Germany was appealing to Belarus to stop this practice.
The spokesperson also reiterated Berlin’s opposition to the death penalty in all cases.
Scholz concerned about death sentence for German national in Belarus
https://arab.news/nj3kz
Scholz concerned about death sentence for German national in Belarus
- Belarusian human rights group Viasna identified him as Rico Krieger and said his charges related to terrorism
- “Like the entire federal government, he (Scholz) is concerned about these events,” a German government spokesperson said
Brazil’s Lula accuses Trump of seeking to forge ‘new UN’
- Lula defended multilateralism against what he called “the law of the jungle” in global affairs
- Key US allies including France and Britain have also expressed doubts
BRASILIA: Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva accused Donald Trump on Friday of trying to create “a new UN” with his proposed “Board of Peace.”
The veteran leftist joins other world leaders who have avoided signing up for Trump’s new global conflict resolution organization, where a permanent seat costs $1 billion and the chairman is Trump himself.
“Instead of fixing” the United Nations, “what’s happening? President Trump is proposing to create a new UN where only he is the owner,” Lula said.
Trump unveiled his “Board of Peace” at the World Economic Forum in the Swiss ski resort of Davos Thursday, joined on stage by leaders and officials from 19 countries to sign its founding charter.
Lula defended multilateralism against what he called “the law of the jungle” in global affairs.
His remarks come a day after he spoke by phone with Chinese leader Xi Jinping, who urged his counterpart to safeguard the “central role” of the United Nations in international affairs.
In his remarks on Friday, Lula said “the UN charter is being torn.”
Although originally intended to oversee Gaza’s rebuilding, the board’s charter does not seem to limit its role to the Palestinian territory and appears to want to rival the United Nations.
Key US allies including France and Britain have also expressed doubts.
London balked at the inclusion of Russian President Vladimir Putin, whose forces are fighting in Ukraine after invading in 2022.
France said the charter as it currently stood was “incompatible” with its international commitments, especially its UN membership.
