DPR Supreme Court sentences 2 captured Britons, Moroccan to death penalty

DONETSK. June 9 (Interfax) - The Supreme Court of the Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) has sentenced two Britons, Aiden Aslin and Shaun Pinner, and Moroccan national Saaudun Brahim, who surrendered in Donbas, to the death penalty for mercenary activities.

"The board of the Appellate Chamber of the Supreme Court of the Donetsk People's Republic has considered a criminal case against British citizens Shaun Pinner, Aiden Aslin and Moroccan national Saaudun Brahim, who are charged with mercenary activities and the commission of actions aimed at seizing power and overthrowing the constitutional system of the DPR," board chairman Alexander Nikulin told reporters after the Thursday meeting.

"When handing down the sentence, the court used not only written regulations and rules, but also the main, unshakable principle of justice. It made it possible to make this difficult and hard decision to apply to the convicts an exclusive measure of punishment in the form of the death penalty," he said.

"The evidence provided by the prosecutors enabled the court to convict them," Nikulin said. "Not including the fact that all defendants without exception admitted their guilt on all charges [...] the charge is based not only on their admission of guilt," he said.

The convicted foreigners will have one month to appeal.

Britons Shaun Pinner and Aiden Aslin surrendered in Mariupol in the middle of April. The Moroccan national surrendered in Volnovakha on March 12.