Downing Street on Friday said Prime Minister Boris Johnson has told ministers to do “everything in their power” to free two British citizens sentenced to death by a pro-Russian court.
Aiden Aslin, 28, and Shaun Pinner, 48, both from England, were sentenced to death on Thursday along with a Moroccan national, Brahim Saadoun, 21, by the Supreme Court of the separatist Donetsk People’s Republic.
The three men were captured by Russian forces in April with other Ukrainian soldiers of the 36th Naval Infantry Brigade.
Tass News Agency quoted defense lawyer Pavel Kosovan as saying all three were “willing to appeal the sentence.”
A still image, taken from footage of the Supreme Court of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic, shows Britons Aiden Aslin (L), Shaun Pinner, and Moroccan Brahim (R) Saadoun, who were captured by Russian forces during a military conflict in Ukraine, in a courtroom cage at a location given as Donetsk, Ukraine, on June 7, 2022. (Supreme Court of Donetsk People’s Republic/Handout via Reuters)
Johnson’s spokesman on Friday said the the prime minister is “appalled” by the death sentences and has ordered ministers to do “everything in their power” to secure their release….