A court in the DPR sentenced to death mercenaries from the UK and Morocco
The Supreme Court of the DPR sentenced to death British citizens Aiden Aslin and Sean Pinner and Moroccan Saadoun Brahim, who fought on the side of Ukraine. The foreigners were found guilty of mercenary activities and "committing actions aimed at seizing power and overthrowing the constitutional order of the DPR." They will be able to appeal the verdict within a month. The head of the British Foreign Ministry, Liz Truss, condemned the decision of the Supreme Court of the Republic.
The Supreme Court of the DPR sentenced to death British nationals Sean Pinner and Aiden Aslin, as well as Moroccan Saadoun Brahim, who were accused of participating in hostilities on the side of Ukraine as mercenaries.
According to the laws of the DPR, convicts can be shot.
"Based on the results of the analysis of the totality of the evidence examined at the hearing, the court comes to the conclusion that the guilt of Aslin Aiden, Pinner Sean and Saadun Brahim is proven," the verdict states.
The foreigners were found guilty of mercenary activities and "committing actions aimed at seizing power and overthrowing the constitutional order of the DPR." As the chairman of the judicial chamber noted, the punishment was imposed "according to the totality of crimes."
In addition, according to the constitution of the DPR, a convicted person has the right to file a petition for pardon, which is considered by the head of the republic, that is, Denis Pushilin. By way of pardon, the death penalty can be replaced with life imprisonment or imprisonment for 25 years.
"When passing the verdict, the court was guided not only by the prescribed norms and rules, but also by the main, unshakable principle - justice. It was he who made it possible to make this difficult and difficult decision to apply an exceptional measure of punishment in the form of the death penalty to convicts," said Alexander Nikulin, the chairman of the board in the case.
The court also indicated that Sean Pinner was recognized as a terrorist in the UK.
"Pinner Sean was wanted in the UK for participating in hostilities in Iraq and Syria, and was recognized as a terrorist in the UK. In this regard, Pinner Sean came to the territory of Ukraine to participate in hostilities," the verdict read.
What are foreigners accused of
The Supreme Court of the DPR on June 6 began considering the case of two Britons and a Moroccan on the merits, and their trial began on June 7.
On June 5, the Prosecutor General's Office of the Republic announced that they had completed the investigation and, as a result of the testimony of foreigners, established their involvement in the commission of crimes under Part 2 of Article 34 of the Criminal Code of the DPR "Commission of crimes by a group of persons", Article 323 of the Criminal Code of the DPR "Forcible seizure of power or forcible retention of power" and Article 430 of the Criminal Code of the DPR "Mercenary activity".
In the DPR, the death penalty is provided for these crimes in wartime conditions, which is de facto allowed. There is no moratorium on this measure.
According to the investigation, the accused, for a reward, took part in military actions on the side of Ukraine "to forcibly seize power in the DPR."
The foreigners pleaded guilty under the articles on training for terrorist activities. Pinner and Brahim also pleaded guilty to actions aimed at forcibly seizing power. At the same time, they claim that they were not mercenaries in the armed conflict with Ukraine.
The court's decision will be challenged
Foreigners sentenced to execution intend to appeal against their death sentence.
British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss "categorically condemned" the sentence of prisoners of war.
"This is a fictitious judgment that has absolutely no legal force. My thoughts are with the families. We continue to do everything possible to support them," she said.
London promised to continue working with the Ukrainian authorities to try to secure the release of "any British citizen who served in the Armed Forces and is being held as a prisoner of war."
Prior to the sentencing, the head of the Ministry of Justice of the United Kingdom, Dominic Raab, stated that London plans to file all necessary complaints against the decision of the DPR court. According to him, Britain expects that the norms of international humanitarian law will be observed in relation to its subjects.
The Minister did not explain how this would be done. If London decides to appeal the verdict, in this case it is possible to raise the question of the actual recognition of the legitimacy of the DPR authorities, the press secretary of the President of Russia Dmitry Peskov stressed earlier.
On April 20, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson called on Russia to treat prisoners of war with mercy. According to him, Pinner and Aslin were servicemen of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, not mercenaries. The head of government noted that the British authorities oppose the participation of the kingdom's subjects in hostilities in Ukraine.
What is known about the convicts
48-year-old Sean Pinner stated during the investigation that he worked as an instructor in the ranks of the armed forces of Ukraine. The Briton was captured in April together with the military units of the 36th separate Brigade of Marines of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in Mariupol. According to the Zvezda TV channel, 27-year-old Aslin was among the "voluntarily laid down arms" marines of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in Mariupol. Aslin said that he fought "on the front line."
They have served in the AFU since 2018. Sean Pinner and Aiden Aslin were reported by Sky News in January, when the West was just discussing Russia's preparation for combat operations. Then Pinner said that he lives in Mariupol and is married to a Ukrainian woman. He claimed that, if necessary, he was ready to defend "the city that adopted him." Aiden Aslin also said that he had a house and a fiancee in Ukraine.
Brahim Saadun said that he signed a three-year contract with the AFU in December 2021. He served as a sailor in the 36th Separate Marine Brigade. The Moroccan came to Ukraine back in 2019 to study at the Poltava University of Economics and Trade. Then he decided to enlist in the Ukrainian army. According to him, he was interested in "getting combat experience." The Moroccan surrendered in Volnovakha in March.
Earlier, the Russian Defense Ministry said that "the mercenaries who arrived in Ukraine are not combatants, the best thing that awaits them is a long term in prison."
Alice Andreeva
