What's known about German sentenced to death in Belarus?

On June 24, the news broke that German citizen Rico K. had been sentenced to death in Belarus. In response to a DW inquiry, the German Foreign Ministry said it was familiar with the case and was coordinating with the embassy in Minsk to provide "consular support to the person concerned" and was "working hard on his behalf with the Belarusian authorities."

"The death penalty is a cruel and inhumane form of punishment that Germany rejects under all circumstances. We are working worldwide for its abolition and are working hard against its implementation with all those affected," the statement added.

Rico K. was found guilty of six articles in the Belarusian Criminal Code: mercenary activity, espionage, being part of an extremist organization, destruction of a vehicle, illegal handling of weapons, explosives and ammunition and terrorism.

Who is Rico K.?

Little is known about Rico K. Two profiles on the LinkedIn platform, both created in August 2023, have identical data and photos but slightly different names. Recently, a photo of a Belarusian court was posted on a Telegram channel loyal to the regime of Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko. The defendant in the court looked like the person in the LinkedIn photos.

In a job application posted on the platform, the person going by Rico K. wrote that he was 29 years old. He said he was born in the German capital, Berlin, and currently lived in Germany, but was hoping to move to the US within a year. He also gave a US phone number.

A Telegram account, which uses the same photo as on LinkedIn, also exists.

On LinkedIn, Rico K. described himself as a mechanic, security guard, social worker and medical worker. It was in the latter capacity that he started working for the German Red Cross in June 2021. The Red Cross has confirmed that Rico K.  worked for the organization, but said this had nothing to do with his trip abroad.

What is the case about?

According to Pavel Sapelka, a lawyer for the Belarusian human rights center Viasna, Rico K. was remanded in custody on October 6, 2023. It is unknown where he was arrested.

Belarusian media outlets loyal to Lukashenko have reported that Rico K. made contact with the Ukrainian secret service in autumn of 2022 and intended to join the Kastus Kalinouski Regiment, a unit of Belarusian volunteers fighting with Ukrainians against Russia. The unit has declared that it has never had anything to do with Rico K.

"It is unclear why he would have wanted to join the Kastus Kalinouski Regiment and not the International Legion of the Ukrainian Army, which was set up for foreigners. And why would he have gone to Belarus of all places?" asked Belarusian-German historian Alexander Friedman.

According to the court that sentenced him, Rico K. entered Belarus as a tourist on October 2 "with phones and a drone" — it is not known from which country and on which visa. Private individuals have not been allowed to import drones into Belarus since September 2023, and checks at the border with the European Union are very thorough.

Terrorism accusations

Sapelka told DW that Rico K. had been charged with terrorism because he is supposed to have been involved in an explosion. But what kind of explosion and where is not known. At the trial, it was said Rico K. had been ordered by Ukraine's SBU security service to spy and take photographs in Asipovichy, which is around 100 kilometers (about 60 miles) southeast of the Belarusian capital, Minsk.

The court argued that Rico K. had photographed military barracks and equipment in Asipovichy on October 4 and had also photographed the Azyaryshcha railway station near Minsk the next day. He was accused of sending the material to the SBU and then receiving the coordinates of a hiding place where he could find an explosive device. He allegedly placed this device on the railway tracks of the same station.

There was reportedly an explosion at the station on October 5, 2023, which the independent Community of Railway Workers of Belarus reported as being powerful. But there were no casualties or major damage.

Could there be a prisoner exchange? 

Anatoly Glaz, spokesman for the Belarusian Foreign Ministry, confirmed ongoing talks about Rico K.'s case with German diplomats. He said Belarus had suggested various options on request of the German Foreign Ministry, which has not yet made a statement on the proposals.

"They didn't conduct this whole trial to execute [K.], but to exchange him and get something in return," said the historian Friedman.

Vadim Prokhorov, a lawyer who fled Russia, told DW that Vladimir Putin's regime needed a German citizen to haggle with thanks to the help of its vassal Lukashenko.

The Belarusian state media have reported that Rico K. did not protest against the sentence, which could be carried out at any time. More than 300 people have been executed in Belarus since 1991.

Human rights organizations have called on Belarus to abolish the death penalty. The Berlin-based human rights organization Liberico said that "in light of the grave human rights violations, many of which might amount to crimes against humanity, including the 'numerous and systematic violations of the rights to due process and a fair trial' before Belarusian courts documented by the OHCHR, the use of the death penalty is particularly alarming."

Viasna and Liberico and other rights organizations have called for the "Belarusian authorities to immediately stop the execution of Rico K., regardless of the charges, and to fully abide by Belarus' international human rights obligations."

This article was originally written in Russian.

An earlier version of this article included Rico K.'s entire name. DW has removed it following a request from his family in line with the German press codex.