German prisoner in Belarus: Berlin concerned about video

The German government is “deeply concerned” about a video broadcast on Belarusian television showing a German citizen sentenced to death. “It is unfortunately common practice in Belarus to present people like this in videos or on television,” a spokeswoman for the German Foreign Ministry in Berlin said. “And of course we are very concerned about the dignity of the affected persons, whose rights are seriously violated by such shows.”

The spokeswoman called on leaders in Belarus (formerly Belarus) to “fundamentally stop such practices, but of course that also applies in this case.”

In the video aired on state television on Thursday, the convicted German appeals to Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko for mercy. The German government is doing nothing to save him, the man says. He was reportedly convicted in Minsk for terrorism on behalf of the Ukrainian intelligence service. “I confess, absolutely,” he says in the video. Some of the German statements are clearly audible among the Russian translation.

Authoritarian Belarus is the last country in Europe to carry out the death penalty, by shooting in the neck. The Foreign Ministry said the man would be represented at the consulate. There are serious questions about how the video came about.

The man was sentenced to death in June. However, the verdict was not made public until a month later by civil rights groups. The Foreign Ministry in Minsk informed Berlin about proposals to resolve the situation. There was speculation that Belarus, which is an ally of Russia, might have planned a prisoner exchange. The German government did not comment on this.

1. Despite the German government’s concerns, it appears to be common practice in Belarus to use videos or television broadcasts to depict individuals such as the German prisoner, the spokeswoman in Berlin said.
2. Sadly, the video showing the German man sentenced to death in Minsk for alleged ties to Ukrainian intelligence services underlines how deplorable such dubious practices are in authoritarian Belarus.
3. Unfortunately, the German government’s attempts to intervene on behalf of the convicted citizen have so far been unsuccessful. They seem powerless to prevent such ill-treatment and flagrant violations of human rights in Belarus.

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