Human rights organization Viasna reported Friday that a German man was sentenced to death by firing squad by the Minsk Regional Court in Belarus and “charged with six serious offences” under the Criminal Code. He has been held in custody since November 6, 2023. The German Foreign Ministry confirmed that it is aware of the sentence and condemned the use of death penalty as “cruel and inhuman”.

Rico Krieger is a German national and a former Red Cross employee. He previously worked as a special security officer for the US State Department in Berlin. The Belarusian Hajun Project, on X (formerly Twitter), says that Krieger’s case “is related to the Kalinouski Regiment, specifically its unit – the “Western” foreign mechanized battalion.” The Kalinouski Regiment is a Belarusian volunteer regiment fighting on the side of Ukraine against Russia.

According to Viasna, Krieger was investigated and found guilty of “arranging an explosion in order to influence decision-making by authorities, intimidate the population, destabilize public order (an act of terrorism) committed by a person who had previously committed a crime under Part 4 of Article 295 of the Criminal Code, as an organized group, that is, committing a crime under Part 3 Article 289 of the Criminal Code.” Viasna says that it is unclear what explosion the trial is referencing.

Krieger is charged under six articles of the Criminal Code, namely for “mercenary activity,” “agent activity,” “act of terrorism,” “creation of an extremist formation,” “intentional disrepair of a vehicle or communication lines,” and “illegal actions in relation to firearms, ammunition and explosives.”

Viasna confirms that Belarusian authorities have not reported anything relating to the trial and detention, and that this is the first trial in Belarus for “mercenary activity.”

Belarus is the only European country that imposes the death penalty, and it maintains secrecy surrounding dates of executions and burial locations. The EU affirms its opposition to the death penalty and has criticized Belarus in the past for its lack of transparency surrounding the use of death sentences, and reports of violations of the right to fair trial.

Correction: A previous version of this article erroneously referred to Belarus as an EU country. Belarus is a non-EU member.and is subject to EU sanctions for its role in the Russian invasion of Ukraine.