Russia sentences British volunteer freedom fighters to death in 'show trial' for defending Ukraine

Two Britons and a Moroccan who were captured while fighting against Russia in Ukraine were sentenced to death on Thursday by one of Russia’s proxy courts in the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR), Russian news outlets reported. 

The court found British citizens Aiden Aslin, 28, and Shaun Pinner, 48, and Moroccan citizen Brahim Saadoun guilty of "mercenary activities and committing actions aimed at seizing power and overthrowing the constitutional order of the DPR," reported Interfax news agency. 

The three men were captured while supporting Ukraine in the battlefield after Russia illegally invaded the embattled country on February 24. 

During their trial, the three men were held in a cage guarded by soldiers who had their faces covered and wore the pro-Russian “Z” symbol, according to images shared by RIA Novosti news agency, despite the trial being held largely behind closed doors. 

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Video with the reaction of foreign mercenaries - Britons Sean Pinner and Aiden Aslin, as well as Moroccan citizen Saadoun Brahim - to the death sentence handed down to them in the DPR. The convicts were read their rights.

@izvestia pic.twitter.com/cBkjSpsWvx

— marina alikantes (@Marianna9110) June 9, 2022

Pro-Russian officials claimed that their actions “led to the deaths and injury of civilians, as well as damage to civilian and social infrastructure.”

Pinner and Saadoun pleaded guilty to their actions, while Aslin allegedly pleaded guilty to a lesser charge. 

"The evidence presented by the prosecution in this case allowed the court to pass a guilty verdict, not to mention the fact that all the defendants, without exception, pleaded guilty to all charges," judge Alexander Nikulin told reporters at the court after handing down the verdict.

"When passing the verdict, the court was guided not only by the prescribed norms and rules, but also by the most important, unshakable principle of justice. It was that which made it possible to take this complex and difficult decision to apply an exceptional measure of punishment in the form of the death penalty," he added.

Many of the U.K.’s top politicians criticized the trial and called the men’s sentencing a “sham judgement.” 

"I utterly condemn the sentencing of Aiden Aslin and Shaun Pinner held by Russian proxies in eastern Ukraine," Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said. "They are prisoners of war. This is a sham judgment with absolutely no legitimacy."

A spokesman for Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s office said that prisoners of war should not be prosecuted for participating in hostilities according to the Geneva Conventions. 

“We are obviously deeply concerned by this. We have said continually that prisoners of war shouldn’t be exploited for political purposes. You will know that under the Geneva conventions prisoners of war are entitled to combatant immunity and they should not be prosecuted for participation in hostilities.

“So we will continue to work with the Ukrainian authorities to try and secure the release of any British nationals who were serving in the Ukrainian armed forces and who are being held as prisoners of war.”

Robert Jenrick, Tory MP for Newark, called the trial a “disgusting Soviet-era show trial is the latest reminder of the depravity of Putin’s regime.”

“Contrary to the Kremlin’s propaganda, Aiden Aslin and Shaun Pinner are not mercenaries. They have been living in Ukraine and serving in its armed forces long before Russia’s illegal invasion,” he added.

The three men’s lawyer said they would appeal the decision. 

DPR is one of the two self-proclaimed independent regions of eastern Ukraine. Before launching its invasion of Ukraine, Russia recognized the two regions as independent. Russia is claiming to fight against its neighboring country to liberate the regions from Ukrainian oppression.