A few days ago, the death sentence against a German in Belarus was announced. Now state television has paraded the man. Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock has clear words.
Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock has sharply criticized the actions of the authorities in Belarus (formerly Belarus) in connection with a German sentenced to death. “It is unbearable how the Belarusian regime has humiliated a German citizen on television,” the Green Party politician told journalists on the sidelines of her summer trip to Hamburg. The German had accused the federal government of doing nothing to save him.
“We, of course, as the Foreign Office and also with our local embassy, are in close contact, not only with the person affected, not only with the family, but also provide him with consular support as best we can,” said Baerbock. She added: “We must do everything we can to ensure that his rights are protected and remain protected.”
The death penalty has been abolished and banned in Europe, said Baerbock. “There are clear rules for dealing with foreign nationals, and we are doing everything we can to provide the best possible support to German nationals.”
In a video broadcast on Thursday by state television, German ruler Alexander Lukashenko, who has been sentenced to death, begs for mercy. The German government is doing nothing to save him, the man says. According to the authorities in Minsk, he was convicted of terrorism on behalf of the Ukrainian secret service, among other things. “I plead guilty, definitely,” he says in the video. Some of the German statements can be heard clearly between the Russian translation. According to the Foreign Office, there are considerable questions as to the circumstances under which the video was made.
Authoritarian Belarus is the last country in Europe to still carry out the death penalty, namely by shooting someone in the back of the neck. The man was sentenced to death in June. However, the verdict was only made known a month later by civil rights organizations. The Foreign Ministry in Minsk announced that it had made suggestions to Berlin on how to resolve the situation. There was speculation that Belarus, which is allied with Russia, might be looking for a prisoner exchange. The German government did not comment on this.
Source: Stern
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