Belarus' authoritarian president pardons German man sentenced to death on terrorism charges

TALLINN, Estonia (AP) — Belarus' authoritarian leader on Tuesday granted a pardon to a German citizen who had been sentenced to death on terrorism charges.

It wasn't immediately clear whether President Alexander Lukashenko's decision means that the capital punishment will be replaced with life in prison for Rico Krieger, as it's usually done in Belarus in such cases, or whether he will be released. A Telegram channel that reports Lukashenko's decisions didn't offer specifics.

The German Foreign Ministry confirmed that the man had been pardoned and said that “this news is a relief.” It did not elaborate.

Earlier on Tuesday, Lukashenko called a meeting to discuss the appeal from Krieger, who was convicted and sentenced to capital punishment in June. Krieger's lawyer Vladimir Gorbach, who took part in the meeting, told the Belarusian state TV that Lukashenko said he would consider Krieger's request for pardon and announce his decision later.