Russia-Ukraine war: Moroccan and a Briton appeal against death sentences by DPR court

A Moroccan and a Briton, who were sentenced to death by a pro-Russian separatist court in the eastern Ukrainian region of Donetsk, have appealed against their sentences, according to Russian news agency TASS. The report stated that the Supreme Court of self-proclaimed Donetsk people’s Republic (DPR), a territory recognised only by Russia and Syria, had received appeals from lawyers of Moroccan Brahim Saadoun and Britain’s Shaun Pinner. 

Saadoun, Pinner and Aiden Aslin were handed out death sentences by the DPR court and were designated as “mercenaries” fighting in Ukraine against Russian forces as the Moscow-Kyiv war continues unabated. While Pinner and Saadoun have appealed against the ruling, Aslin has reportedly not yet submitted an appeal. 

The sentencing of foreign nationals after being charged for “mercenary activities” has triggered intensified criticism from the West against Russia as a show trial. The relatives of both Britons and the Moroccans have said that they were contracted to fight in the Ukrainian army and therefore, they should not be designated as mercenaries and should be protected under the Geneva Conventions for prisoners of war. 

Meanwhile, the pro-Russia separatists in eastern Ukraine have charged two more Britons fighting with the Ukrainian army against the Kremlin troops as "mercenaries", reported Russian state media. Britons Andrew Hill of Plymouth and Dylan Healy of Huntingdon have been reportedly charged with “forcible seizure of power” and undergoing “terrorist” training, stated The Guardian citing a state news agency in Russian-controlled Donetsk. 

The charges imposed on Hill and Healy indicate that they could face the death penalty as Russia categorically denied protection under Geneva Conventions to other foreign nationals captured by Moscow’s forces in four months of the Moscow-Kyiv war. 

DPR court to consider appeals against sentences

Furthermore, TASS cited the DPR court as saying that the appeals would be considered within now more than two months. As per the report, Pinner has asked for his death sentence to be commuted to life imprisonment. It is pertinent to mention that according to an updated DPR criminal code published on an official website that took effect on Friday, the death penalty will start being used from 2025. However, it still remains unclear what it meant for the three men.

But, the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) has called on Russia to suspend the execution of two British nationals who were sentenced to death by a pro-Russian court in Donetsk People's Republic (DPR). Earlier this month, the DPR's Supreme Court sentenced Britons to death for fighting in Ukraine amid the ongoing war. The British citizens were identified as Aiden Aslin and Shaun Pinner. Apart from them, one Moroccan citizen was also awarded the death sentence as Russia considered the trio as "foreign mercenaries."

On Thursday, the ECHR stated that it has agreed to grant interim measures in the case of two Britons, urging Russia to guarantee suitable detention circumstances and provide them with all necessary medical care. “The European Court of Human Rights has decided to grant interim measures in the cases of Pinner v. Russia and Ukraine, and Aslin v. Russia and Ukraine (application nos. 31217/22 and 31233/22) concerning two British nationals who are members of the Armed Forces of Ukraine," the ECHR stated in a press release.

Image: AP