Britons sentenced to death for fighting with Ukraine's army
Two British citizens and a Moroccan have been sentenced to death by pro-Moscow rebels in eastern Ukraine for fighting on Ukraine's side.
A court in the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic found the three men guilty of working toward a violent overthrow of power, an offence punishable by death in the unrecognised republic.
They were also convicted of mercenary activities and terrorism, according to the official Russian news agency TASS.
Russia’s state news agency RIA Novosti reported that the three — Aiden Aslin, Shaun Pinner and Saaudun Brahim — are set to face a firing squad.
The separatists had claimed that as “mercenaries” they are not entitled to the usual protections afforded prisoners of war.
The three defendants will "appeal", the lawyer for one of the three men, Pavel Kossovan, told TASS.
According to TASS, Shaun Pinner and Brahim Saadoun had pleaded not guilty on Wednesday to charges of "mercenarism" but acknowledged their participation in the fighting "aimed at the violent seizure of power".
Long-serving soldiers
In response, Aslin and Pinner’s families said that the men, who are both said to have lived in Ukraine since 2018, were “long-serving” members of the Ukrainian military.
"He is not, contrary to Kremlin propaganda, a volunteer, a mercenary or a spy. Aiden was planning for his future outside the army, but like all Ukrainians, his life was turned upside down by Putin's barbaric invasion," according to his family.
Pinner's family also explained that he was "neither a volunteer nor a mercenary, but officially serves in the Ukrainian army in accordance with Ukrainian legislation". He also moved to Ukraine in 2018 and married a Ukrainian.
The three fought alongside Ukrainian troops. Pinner and Aslin surrendered
Read more on euronews.com
