The family of a British man sentenced to death for fighting Russian forces said on Saturday that they are “devastated and saddened” by the outcome of what they called an “illegal show trial.”
Shaun Pinner, 48, a former British Army soldier who relocated to Ukraine in 2018 and joined the Armed Forces of Ukraine, was treated as a mercenary and sentenced to death on Thursday by the Supreme Court of the separatist Donetsk People’s Republic.
His two fellow captives, British-Ukrainian Aiden Aslin, 28, and Moroccan-Ukrainian Brahim Saadoun, 21, were also given death sentences.
Pinner’s family on Saturday issued a statement through the UK’s Foreign Office, saying they are “devastated and saddened at the outcome of the illegal show trial.”
“As a Ukrainian resident for over four years and contracted serving marine in the 36th Brigade, of which he is very proud, Shaun should be accorded all the rights of a prisoner of war according to the Geneva Convention and including full independent legal representation,” the statement reads.
“We sincerely hope that all parties will co-operate urgently to ensure the safe release or exchange of Shaun,” the family said. Pinner and Aslin have been paraded on Russian State TV following their capture, asking British Prime Minister BorisJohnson to help exchange for them with Viktor Medvedchuk, a pro-Russian Ukrainian politician who was arrested by the Ukrainian secret services on April 12.
Pinner’s family said they, “including his son and Ukrainian wife, love and miss [Pinner] so much” and their hearts “go out to all the families involved in this awful situation.”
The family added they would “respectfully ask for privacy from the media at this difficult time.”
Aslin also served with the 36th Brigade that surrendered to Russian forces in April after 48 days of defending Mariupol as they were “running out of ammunition.”
He moved to Ukraine in 2018 with his Ukrainian fiancée and now holds British and Ukrainian citizenship. He previously fought the ISIS terrorist group with Kurdish militia People’s Defense Units in Syria and northern Iraq.
In a statement to the Newark Advertiser, a relative of Aslin urged Britain and Ukraine to “do everything in their power to have them returned to us safely, and soon.”
Downing Street on Friday said Prime Minister Boris Johnson has told ministers to do “everything in their power” to free the pair.
Fedir Venislavskyi, a Ukrainian lawmaker sitting on the parliamentary security and defence committee, said the country is doing everything it can to prevent the execution of the three prisoners.
“Both the Defence Ministry and the Main Directorate of Intelligence, which deals with the exchange of prisoners, are taking all necessary measures to ensure these citizens of foreign states ... are saved,” Venislavskyi said, without giving further details.
Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said she believed the separatist authorities would ultimately act rationally, “for they are well aware of the irreparable implications for them and for the Russians if they take any wrong steps against these three of our soldiers.”
“Something tells me that, eventually, one way or another, sooner or later, these three servicemen will be exchanged (or otherwise get home),” she said in an online post on Saturday.
Britain has condemned the sentencing of the fighters as an “egregious breach” of the Geneva Convention, under which prisoners of war are entitled to combatant immunity and should not be prosecuted for participation in hostilities.
Ukraine, which has dismissed the Donetsk court’s ruling as having no authority, says the fighters had signed contracts with the Ukrainian armed forces.
As a result, “the status of prisoners of war under international law fully applies to them. We will take all measures to save them,” lawmaker Venislavskyi said.
A third British man, Andrew Hill, who was captured in the Mykolaiv area, is awaiting trial.
