Donetsk Leader Denies Contact from Morocco, UK Over Sentenced Foreign Fighters

"Neither Morocco nor the United Kingdom have officially contacted us," confirmed Denis Pushilin, president of the DPR, at a press conference attended by the Russian news agency RIA Novosti. These two countries "have not submitted an official request to the Donetsk authorities regarding their citizens who fought alongside Kiev and were found guilty of mercenary activities," he specified.

Arrested, tried under three articles of the DPR Criminal Code: "seizure of power by force or forcible retention of power", "mercenary activities" and "training for terrorist activities", then sentenced to death on June 9 by the Appeals Chamber of the Supreme Court of the DPR, the young Moroccan Brahim Saadoun and the two Britons Aiden Aslin and Shaun Pinner have appealed. "If the court upholds the verdict, the case will be transferred to the executive service of the Ministry of Justice of the DPR," explained the head of the DPR.

When asked about the execution by the DPR of the death sentence of the three convicts, Denis Pushilin assured that "everything is ready in the executive service of the Ministry of Justice of the DPR, in accordance with the legislation in force."