“I do hope President Lukashenko will forgive and pardon me … Although I still have a chance, Germany is doing nothing,” Russian news agency Tass quoted Krieger as saying in the 15-minute recording entitled “Confession of a German terrorist,” which shows Krieger sitting behind bars in handcuffs.
A spokesperson for the foreign office said the ministry had been providing the detainee with intensive consular support, which included prison visits and legal support.
A Minsk court sentenced Krieger to execution by firing squad in late June for allegedly placing an explosive device on a railway line in Minsk. Krieger, who according to a Linkedin profile featuring his name used to work for the Red Cross and the United States Embassy in Berlin, said he had been asked by the Ukrainian secret service to photograph Belarusian military sites, various media outlets reported.
But the conviction only became known late last week due to the report of Minsk-based human rights organization Viasna.
During the trial, his actions were connected to the Kastuś Kalinoŭski Regiment (consisting of Belarusians fighting for Ukraine), Viasna reported.
Lukashenko, an ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, has backed Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine and allowed its territory to be used in the Russian assault.
