The three men who served in the Ukrainian Marines are not mercenaries but permanent soldiers in the army. In this way, they should be subject to the rules of the Geneva Convention on Prisoners of War.
9.6. 22: 06 • Updated June 9. 22:45
Two British fighters and one Moroccan fighter were sentenced to death on Thursday in the Russian-backed so-called “Donetsk People’s Republic”.
According to the court, they were convicted of “mercenary activities” and activities aimed at a coup in the Donetsk region.
Death sentences were handed down To Aiden Aslin28, To Shaun Pinner48, and Received by Brahim21.
According to the news agency Tassi, a lawyer representing one convict says all three are appealing the decision. According to Tass, it would be possible for them to obtain an amnesty in which the death sentence would be commuted to 25 years in prison.
In Russia, the death penalty is unconstitutional, but in the Russian-occupied territories of Ukraine, the death penalty was introduced in 2014.
Everyone lived in Ukraine before the war
According to British media and social media, everyone has joined the Ukrainian Army Marines long before the Russian invasion, and this is not the case for mercenaries but for those in active service. Thus, they would be subject to the rules of the Geneva Convention on Prisoners of War.
The BBC is (switch to another service) previously interviewed Aiden Aslin. He is from Newark and, according to his family, Aslin moved to Mykolaiv, Ukraine in 2018. He joined the Ukrainian army the same year. Aslin is engaged to a Ukrainian woman. In the past, he has also fought twice against Isis in the Kurdish forces in Syria and has been involved in, among other things, taking Raqqa back from Isis.
Shaun Pinner, on the other hand, is from Watford, Bedfordshire. According to Pinner’s family, he was a “respected” soldier in the British Army, in the Royal Anglian Regiment. He is also said to have served as a UN peacekeeper in Bosnia. Pinner moved to Ukraine four years ago to train the Ukrainian army.
Pinner’s contract with the Ukrainian army was due to end later this year and he was to focus on humanitarian work with his Ukrainian wife thereafter.
“Shaun is a fun, loved and well-meaning husband, son, father, brother and a friend to many,” says his family, according to the BBC.
Saadoun Brahim, on the other hand, arrived in Ukraine according to social data in 2019. He studied aerodynamics and space technology at the Kiev Polytechnic Institute until joining the Ukrainian Marines in 2021.
The British surrendered in the siege of Mariupol in April when their troops ran out of ammunition, and the Moroccan Brahim surrendered in March in Volnovaha.
The trial is considered a propaganda show
Spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Oleg Nimolenko said, according to the AFP, “propaganda is above the law” throughout the trial.
During the three-day trial, the men pleaded guilty to “acts aimed at a coup and the repeal of the Constitution of the Donetsk People’s Republic.” Recognition has been considered forced.
Russia is expected to use the process to put pressure on Britain. In addition, there may be a desire to exchange Russian soldiers convicted of murder and war crimes in Ukraine.