Britain’s Aiden Ashlin and Sean Piner and Moroccan national Brahim Saadoun appeared in court on Thursday, where they were sentenced to death.
The three men – all foreign fighters of the Ukrainian army – were arrested by Russian forces in mid-April in Mariupol.
Saadoune, Aslin and Pinner were sentenced to death and will be shot, according to a RIA Novosti report from the Donetsk court.
The “head of the Judicial Council” in Donetsk said the convicted men “could appeal against the decision within a month”, according to RIA Novosti.
One of the defendants’ lawyers, Pavel Kosovan, said his client would appeal the verdict, Russian state media TASS reported.
On Wednesday, Pinner, Aslin and Saadoune pleaded guilty to acts of “violent seizure of power,” state media reported.
“The relevant article of the DPR Penal Code provides for the death penalty,” RIA Novosti reported.
Ashley also pleaded guilty under Article “training to carry out terrorist activities”, according to state media.
Context: The so-called Donetsk People’s Republic, a pro-Russian region in eastern Ukraine, is not an internationally recognized government. Therefore, court decisions are not considered legal by the international community.
