Russia-Ukraine conflict: Father of Moroccan sentenced to death in Donetsk says son is not a mercenary, has Ukrainian nationality

The so-called People’s Republic of Donetsk has sentenced three men fighting with Ukraine to death in the midst of the ongoing war. The father of the Moroccan who was convicted said his son is no mercenary and is a Ukrainian national.

Reuters reports the father of Moroccan Brahim Saadoun said the court in the separatist-held region of Donetsk should treat his son as a prisoner of war as he is a Ukrainian national who voluntarily turned himself in.

Saadoun and British nationals Aiden Aslin and Shaun Pinner were sentenced to death in Donetsk on charges of “mercenary activities and committing actions aimed at seizing power and overthrowing the constitutional order” of the so-called people’s republic.

The three men were captured by Russian forces as they were fighting alongside Ukraine. Saadoun received Ukrainian nationality status in 2020 after a year of military training as a requirement to access aerospace technology studies in Kyiv, said his father, Tahar Saadoun. Tahar Saadoun added that the sentence would be appealed.

“We as a family suffer from the absence of contact with the lawyer to exchange legal information and this adds to our ordeal,” Mr. Saadoun said. A Moroccan diplomatic source in Kyiv said Saadoun was detained by an “entity” that is not recognized by Morocco and the United Nations.

Morocco’s foreign ministry said it supports the territorial integrity of all United Nations member countries. While Morocco was not present in the two votes against Russia at the UN nor condemn Moscow for its invasion but has said it opposes inter-state disputes and has called for dialogue.

The pro-Russian separatists in Donetsk reported that an attack by Ukrainian artillery has killed at least five people in what is believed to be an increase in shelling from Ukrainian forces. The information has yet to be independently confirmed and there was no immediate response from Kyiv regarding the reports.

UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said officials saw the reports of the attack on a hospital in Donetsk.

Ukraine has repeatedly denied making any attacks on the so-called republics of Luhansk and Donetsk, which are held by pro-Russian separatists since 2014.