For months, this port city in southern Ukraine has been a symbol of Ukrainian resistance. In Mariupol, entrenched in the Azovstal factory, the Azov regiment fought for a long time against the Russian army, preventing a total conquest of the city until the end of May.
The soldiers of this special corps nevertheless ended up surrendering, and since then, Russia and the representatives of the separatist Republic of Donetsk have repeatedly expressed their desire to try these troops, whom they consider to be terrorists.
“Everything is already ready in Mariupol”
A trial that could be held in the coming days, according to The Republic. “Everything is already ready in Mariupol, writes the Italian newspaper: the trial will be held at the Philharmonic, where welders from St. Petersburg have already built the cages and fences for the prisoners.”
According to Denis Pushilin, leader of the separatist Republic of Donetsk, whose remarks are reported by the American media CNN, “the trial will include both soldiers of the Ukrainian regular army and members of the Azov regiment [celui-ci ayant été en réalité intégré à l’armée]”.
The risk of the death penalty
The fate of the latter, defined as “Nazis” by the Russians and the separatists, worries the United States Department of State, which spoke on Wednesday August 24, accusing the Kremlin [même si le procès devrait être officiellement mené par les séparatistes] to want to set up a “show trial”. Washington also wanted to recall that: “all members of the Ukrainian Armed Forces have the rights of prisoners of war and are therefore protected by the Geneva Convention”.
The number of prisoners who will be tried is still unknown, but according to La Repubblica “at least 23 soldiers from the Azov regiment will be present: those who have signed a confession. A confession obtained by torture, as we now know thanks to the testimonies of former prisoners exchanged”. For them, the concrete risk is that a death sentence will be pronounced.