British soldier Aiden Aslin has appealed against the death sentence he was handed by a Russian proxy court.

The 28-year-old was captured along with another UK-born fighter, Shaun Pinner, while fighting in Mariupol.

Both men joined the Ukrainian army after moving to the country, starting relationships and formally enlisting. 

Their hearing at the ‘supreme court’ of the Donetsk People’s Republic, which is not recognised internationally,  has been decried as a show trial.

Kremlin-backed officials say the two men are mercenaries and therefore not entitled to the protection afforded to soldiers under the Geneva Convention.

Their families, the UK Government and the Ukrainian authorities dispute this, saying they have been serving members of the army for several years.

A lawyer assigned to represent Mr Aslin said an appeal had been filed today, according to Interfax.

Pavel Kosovan told the Russian news agency: ‘A cassation appeal against the verdict was filed today.’

The pair were sentenced alongside a Moroccan man, Brahim Saadoun, for ‘mercenary activities’.

Another agency, TASS, had reported on Friday that the court received appeals from lawyers for the other two captives but that Mr Aslin had yet to submit an appeal.

Mr Aslin’s family released a statement in the aftermath of his sentence. It read: ‘We love Aiden with all our hearts. 

‘He and Shaun, as members of Ukrainian armed forces, should be treated with respect just like any other prisoners of war.

To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a webbrowser thatsupports HTML5video

‘They are not, and never were, mercenaries.’

The Foreign Office has condemned the exploitation of prisoners of war for political purposes.

A spokesperson said they are ‘entitled to combatant immunity and should not be prosecuted for participation in hostilities’.

It’s feared all three men offered guilty pleas under duress, with the images broadcast on television for propaganda purposes.

Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at [email protected].

For more stories like this, check our news page.

Source: Read Full Article