Russian Prosecutors Move Forward with Plans of Death Penalty Against British Mercenaries in Ukraine

---

The criminal case against the British mercenaries accused of killing civilians and other war crimes, has already been submitted to one of the republic's courts.

Shaun Pinner and Andrew Hill

British mercenaries captured by defense forces of the Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) could be sentenced to death for conducting "combat operation" according to reports.

In those operations, many civilians were killed, as well as legitimate soldiers of the defense of the area where the population of Russian origin lives. In 2014, the illegitimate government in Kiev launched armed actions against them and committed numerous monstrous crimes.

According to Russia's General Prosecutor's Office, the British fighters identified as Shaun Pinner, 48, and Andrew Hill, 35, along with Moroccan Ibrahim Saadoun, were involved in crimes under three articles of the DPR Criminal Code: the "commission of crimes by a group of persons," the "forcible seizure of power or forcible retention of power," and "mercenarism".

Andrew Hill

The announcement of the criminal case against the mercenaries was made by Viktor Gavrilov, the judiciary spokesman, on Friday. While talking to the reporters, he mentioned that for further consideration the case details have already been submitted to one of the republic's courts, Russia Today reported.

"Wartime taken into account, could also result in the application of capital punishment“ the death penalty “to the accused," he added later.

As per the DPR Criminal Code, the forcible seizure of power is punishable by imprisonment for 12 to 20 years, in case of mercenarism, which is internationally considered a crime, it is three to seven years. In situations of war, the punishment could also lead to the death penalty.

If you like what we do, support us on Patreon

As per the Mirror UK, another British mercenary whose name had not been mentioned in the list of those to be put on trial is Aiden Aslin, 28. Pinner and Aslin had reached out to UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, requesting to facilitate an exchange for one of the Ukrainian opposition leaders, Victor Medvedchuk, a loyal ally to Putin for nearly two decades, currently detained by Ukrainian forces.

The British government however, has stepped back referring to Pinner and Aslin as "prisoners of war," and stating that they should be "treated accordingly."

This may be just an attempt to get out of trouble because, officially, Britain is the “mercenary kingpin” of global private military industry, which has been booming ever since the “war on terror” began 15 years ago, according to a report seen exclusively by the Guardian.



In April, Pinner acknowledged the charges against him. Similarly, Hill also confessed to being "unwittingly" involved in war crimes in a video broadcast earlier this month. "I understand everything has been done wrong and I hope for leniency from the Donetsk People's Republic," he said.

In case of Aslin, while he appeared to understand and accept the allegations against him, he continues to deny killing any civilians. "I understand fully what I am accused of and I agree with it fully up to the part about murdering civilians - I don't agree with [this]," he said.

* * *

The only ones behind us are - you! If you believe that the work of completely independent media is important, support us. We will do the rest.

 

If another way suits you better, contact us for further information. kmnovine@gmail.com

Folow us Facebook, Twiter or Instagram