The president of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko pardoned a German national who was sentenced to death in June, the government’s press service announced on Tuesday. Lukashenko’s statement has now commuted the German’s verdict to a life sentence.

Rico Krieger, a German national and a former Red Cross employee, was convicted in June on terrorism and mercenary charges under the Criminal Code and sentenced to death by firing squad by the Minsk Regional Court in Belarus. In an interview on Belarusian National TV, he admitted his guilt, asking for pardon from the Belarus president, and called for help from the German government, which he accused of abandoning him. In the interview, he states that he was tasked by the Ukrainian Secret Service (SBU) to take photos of sensitive military sights, as well as planting a bomb on a train outside of Minsk. The interview is however suspected to be staged by the Belarusian authorities. The German foreign office stated that it is working with Belarusian authorities to assist Krieger.

According to Human Rights Watch, Belarusian authorities commonly subject detainees in politically motivated cases to the practice of “repent videos”, forcing them to confess their alleged crimes on camera. HRW highlights the widespread crackdown on Human Rights activists, lawyers and journalists by Lukashenko’s regime. Belarus also remains the only country in Europe and Central Asia to carry out capital punishment.

The EU has previously criticized Belarus for its lack of transparency surrounding the use of death sentences and reports of violations of the right to fair trial as it maintained its opposition to the death penalty.