The Supreme Court of the self-proclaimed Republic of Donetsk has sentenced this Thursday to death sentence for two British citizens and a Moroccan for participating in the Ukrainian war on behalf of the Ukrainian side.
“In rendering his verdict, the court has been guided not only by the prescribed norms and rulesbut also because of the unwavering principle of justice,” a court spokesman said.
Shortly after the start of the war, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky launched the Ukrainian Territorial Defense Legion, a detachment through which Ukraine sought join their ranks with international volunteers.
According to the Russian authorities, cso 7,000 foreigners from more than 60 countries have joined the Ukrainian Army to participate in the conflict. Moscow claims that just over 1,000 of these “foreign mercenaries” have been arrested, while about 400 were trapped during the siege of the Azovstal steel plant.
One month to appeal the sentence
As reported by the local news agency DAN, those convicted have one month to appeal the sentence, right that the three combatants will make use of.
Donetsk Supreme Court indicts Shaun Pinner, Aiden Aslin and Brahim Saadun for committing group crimes, among which is the forced seizure of power. He also accuses them of acting as mercenaries in the war in Ukraine.
The court began on Monday the trial of the two Britons and the Moroccan citizen and the three They have recognized this Wednesday part of the crimes attributed to them. Once the “totality of the evidence” has been analyzed, the Supreme Court has proven the guilt of the defendants and has determined that they should be “sentenced to death”.
Captured by Russian troops
Shaun Pinner, 48, was captured by Russian troops during the siege of the city of Mariupol, after several years as a soldier in the Ukrainian Army. For his part, Aiden Aslin, 28, was part of the Ukrainian forces since 2018 and was captured in April by pro-Russian militias in the Donetsk region, where fighting between Russian and Ukrainian troops continues.
In mid-April, the two Britons addressed the British Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, in a message broadcast on Russian television, in which they asked to be exchanged for the pro-Russian politician Victor Medvedchuk, arrested for high treason.
Both their family and the British Government have demanded decent treatment from the Russian authorities according to the Geneva Convention.
The British Government has stated be “deeply concerned” about the convictions imposed on the two British citizens and has claimed that will work to try to secure his release. “Under the Geneva Convention, prisoners of war are entitled to combatant immunity and they should not be prosecuted for participating in hostilities. We will continue to work with the Ukrainian authorities to try to secure the release of any British citizen who has served in the Ukrainian Army and is being held as a prisoner of war,” the British Prime Minister’s spokesman said.