Wednesday, December 15, 2021
After the Tiergarten murder sentence
Baerbock: Russian diplomats declared “undesirable persons”
As a reaction to the Tiergartenmord ruling, Berlin expelled two employees of the Russian embassy from Germany: Foreign Minister Baerbock condemned “this murder on behalf of the state”. Relations with Russia are now heavily strained. For his part, the Russian ambassador threatens consequences.
After the murder sentence against a Russian in Berlin, the German government declared two employees of the Russian embassy to be “undesirable persons”. Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said in Berlin that this was explained to the Russian Ambassador Sergei Nechayev during a conversation in the Foreign Office. That amounts to expelling the diplomats.
Baerbock sees relations with Russia under heavy strain after the judgment. “This murder on behalf of the state … represents a serious violation of German law and the sovereignty of the Federal Republic of Germany,” she said. On Tuesday – before the verdict – she telephoned Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and confirmed that she wanted an open and honest exchange with Russia.
“This must take place on the basis of international law and mutual respect,” emphasized the Green politician. It is clear that acts like the murder in the zoo made this exchange more difficult. “The federal government will do everything it takes to ensure security in our country and respect for our legal system.”
The Berlin Court of Appeal had previously sentenced a 56-year-old Russian to life imprisonment for the murder of a Georgian of Chechen descent. The State Protection Chamber saw it as proven that the defendant was acting on behalf of Russian state authorities in August 2019 when he shot his victim in the middle of a Berlin park. The court thus followed the arguments of the Federal Prosecutor’s Office.
Russian Ambassador: Judgment is not objective
The Russian ambassador to Germany, Sergei Nechayev, had previously announced a reaction to the murder sentence. But he did not give any details. “It is an obviously unfriendly act that does not go unrequited,” he said. “The time when the verdict will be pronounced will not be chosen by chance either. Apparently someone has an interest in the dialogue between Russia and the new federal government being overshadowed by it from the start.”
The ambassador criticized the verdict was “not objective, politically motivated and seriously burdensome for the already difficult German-Russian relationship”. He described the allegation that the Russian Federation was involved in the act as “absurd”. Among other things, he criticized the fact that research by the Internet platforms Bellingcat and Insider and “other unfounded suspicions” had been admitted as evidence and questioned a testimony. Russia had always denied the involvement of government agencies. However, President Vladimir Putin described the Georgian who had been killed two years ago as a “bandit” and “murderer”, whose extradition Moscow repeatedly demanded unsuccessfully from the German authorities.
“We were looking for this person, a very brutal and bloodthirsty person. In just one operation in which he was involved, 98 people were killed. And he was one of the organizers of the explosions in the Moscow metro,” Putin said December 2019 at a press conference. The Georgian fought alongside separatists in the Caucasus.
Germany had already expelled two Russian embassy employees according to the first results of the Federal Prosecutor’s investigation into the case. At that time, Russia responded by expelling two German diplomats.