The Supreme Court of the Donetsk Peopleʼs Republic passed the first verdict on three foreign servicemen who defended Mariupol together with the Ukrainian military. The British Aiden Aslin and Sean Pinner, as well as the Moroccan Saadoun Brahim, were sentenced to death (execution).
This was reported by the Russian propaganda publication RIA from the courtroom.
They were found guilty of "mercenaries" and "actions aimed at seizing power and overthrowing the constitutional order of the Donetsk Peopleʼs Republic. "They will have a month to file an appeal. If the "head of the republic" pardons the convicts, the death penalty can be commuted to life imprisonment or 25 years in prison.
Aiden Aslin, 28, is a former caregiver in the UK. He was arrested in Mariupol in April. Aiden Aslin was used by the Donetsk Peopleʼs Republic militants in a propaganda video after the capture. His friend, Sean Pinner, a 48-year-old former Royal English Regiment soldier, was captured. Brahim Saadoun, a 21-year-old Moroccan citizen, surrendered on March 12 in Volnovakha.
The case involves another British prisoner, Andrew Hill, who will be sentenced later (he also faces the death penalty).
- On June 8, the General Staff of Ukraine stated that foreign nationals serving in the Armed Forces of Ukraine were granted the legal status of combatants. This status, in particular, gives them the right to be treated as prisoners of war if they fall into enemy hands. This means that they are protected by the Geneva Convention.