- Russian activist killed on front line in Ukraine
- Openda strike briefly sends Leipzig top of Bundesliga
- Goal-shy Man Utd have to 'step up', says Ten Hag
- India bowl out Bangladesh for 127 in T20 opener
- Madueke rescues Chelsea in draw with 10-man Forest
- Beckett's belief rewarded as Bluestocking storms to Arc glory
- Trump on the stump, Harris hits airwaves in razor-edge US election
- Flash flooding kills three in northern Thailand
- Kaur leads India to victory over Pakistan in Women's T20 World Cup
- Juventus held by Cagliari after late penalty drama
- In France's Marseille, teen 'stabbed 50 times' then burned alive
- Ruthless Gauff beats Muchova in straight sets to win China Open
- India restrict Pakistan to 105-8 in Women's T20 World Cup
- England target repeat of Pakistan Test whitewash
- Penrith Panthers win fourth straight NRL title after downing Storm
- Weary Sinner happy for day off after battling into Shanghai last 16
- Pakistan's Masood warns England still a force without Stokes
- Madrid's Carvajal to miss several months after serious knee injury
- Two elephants die in flash flooding in northern Thailand
- Sabalenka targets world number one and Wuhan hat-trick
- Tunisia votes with Saied set for re-election
- Bagnaia sets 'example' with Japan MotoGP win to cut gap on Martin
- Intense Israeli bombing rocks Beirut ahead of war anniversary
- Mozambique vote: no suspense but some disillusion
- Austrian rapper channels anti-racist rage in Romani hip-hop songs
- Ohtani magic powers Dodgers over Padres in MLB playoff thriller
- Five of the best: Pakistan-England Test thrillers
- Man sets arm on fire as marches across US mark Gaza war anniversary
- Vietnam's young coffee entrepreneurs brew up a revolution
- Trump rallies at site of failed assassination: 'Never quit'
- Too hot by day, Dubai's floodlit beaches are packed at night
- Is music finally reckoning with #MeToo?
- Fans hail Trump's 'guts' as he returns to site of rally shooting
- Lebanon state media says Israeli strikes hit south Beirut
- Miami on track for MLS record points after win in Toronto
- Monaco take top spot in Ligue 1 with win at Rennes
- Madrid beat Villarreal to level Liga leaders Barca
- Thuram treble fires Inter past Torino and up to second
- 'Fight': defiant Trump jets in to site of rally shooting
- Mexico City's new mayor sworn in with pledges on water, housing
- Israel on alert ahead of Hamas attack anniversary
- Guardians maul Tigers in MLB playoff series opener
- Macron criticises Israel on Gaza, Lebanon operations
- French rugby player whistled but 'serene' on return amid ongoing rape case
- Retegui hat-trick fires five-star Atalanta to hammering of Genoa
- Heavyweights Australia, England off to World Cup winning starts
- Visiting UN refugee agency chief decries 'terrible crisis' in Lebanon
- Spinners come to party as England defeat Bangladesh at T20 World Cup
- Search continues for missing in deadly Bosnia floods
- Man City sink Fulham to get title bid back on track
Belarus sentences German man to death: rights group
A German combat medic accused by Belarus of committing crimes including "terrorism" and "mercenary activity" has been sentenced to death by firing squad, a Belarusian rights group said Friday.
Rico Krieger, 30, was convicted under six articles of Belarus's criminal code in a secretive trial held at the end of June, the Viasna Human Rights Centre reported.
Part of the proceedings were held behind closed doors, the exact allegations against him were not immediately clear and Belarus's official news agency did not report anything about his case.
The case may be linked to the Kalinouski Regiment, a group of Belarusian volunteer fighters that are fighting against Russia in the war in Ukraine, Viasna reported.
According to a LinkedIn profile that Viasna said belonged to Krieger, he worked as a medical worker for the German Red Cross and as an armed security officer for the US embassy in Berlin.
This was the first time someone has been tried for mercenary activity in Belarus, the group said.
Belarusian opposition leader Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, who lives in exile, said Friday she was "concerned" by the reports and was "collecting more information on his case".
Belarus is the only European country that has the death penalty, reserving it for serious crimes including murder under aggravating circumstances, terrorism and treason.
It was not immediately clear whether Krieger had appealed the sentence.
A source at the German foreign ministry told AFP that it "and the embassy in Minsk are providing the person in question with consular services and are making intensive representations to the Belarussian authorities on his behalf".
The source added that "the death penalty is a cruel and inhuman form of punishment that Germany rejects under all circumstances".
- Death penalty -
The Kalinouski Regiment, named after Polish-Belarusian writer Kastus Kalinouski, is one of many foreign-founded volunteer units fighting alongside the Ukrainian army.
It is considered an extremist group in Belarus, a close ally of Russia.
It is still not clear what connection Krieger may have had to the group, but Belarusian opposition media reported that he may have been linked to a unit within Kalinouski known as the "Western" battalion.
He was convicted of six crimes, said Viasna: "unlawful acts related to firearms", "the disabling of transport or communication routes", "creation of or participation in an extremist group", "intelligence activity", "mercenary activity" and "terrorism".
Belarus is reported to have executed as many as 400 people since it gained independence from the Soviet Union in 1991, according to Amnesty International, but executions of foreign citizens are rare.
The country is run as an authoritarian regime by long-time leader Alexander Lukashenko, who has detained thousands of dissidents and civic activists who oppose him.
In a surprise move on Wednesday, Minsk announced it would open its borders visa-free to nationals of 35 European countries for 90-day trips, in a bid to improve frosty relations with the West.
O.Gaspar--PC