“As a resident of Ukraine for more than 4 years and serving as a Marine under the 36th Brigade, of which he is very proud, Shaun should have all the rights of a prisoner of war under the Geneva Convention and including full independent legal representation. . ” said the statement. “We sincerely hope that all parties will work together urgently to ensure Shaun’s safe release or exchange. Our family, including his son and his Ukrainian wife, love and miss him so much and our hearts go out to all the families.” “They are involved in this awful situation,” the family added. Pinner was sentenced to death on Thursday along with his compatriot Aiden Aslin and Moroccan national Brahim Saadoune after being accused of being “mercenaries” for Ukraine, according to Russian state media RIA Novosti. Authorities in the GDR said the three men were foreign fighters captured by Russian forces in the Ukrainian city of Mariupol in April. RIA Novosti said Pinner, Aslin and Saadoune would be shot. Russia is the only country that recognizes the GDR as independent. The world community does not recognize the region and its institutions and considers the region to be part of Ukraine. Independent security organizations have historically condemned separatists for their incredible human rights record and ill-treatment of detainees. RIA Novosti quoted the “head of the Judicial Council” in Donetsk as saying that the convicts “could appeal against the decision within a month”. Pavel Kosovan, one of the defendants’ lawyers, said his clients would appeal the verdict, Russian state media TASS reported after the death sentence was handed down. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is “terrified” of the death penalty against the British, his spokesman said on Friday. Johnson “closely followed the case and asked the ministers to do everything in their power to try to reunite them with their families as soon as possible,” his spokesman added. Earlier this week, UK Foreign Secretary Liz Tras also criticized the GDR crisis, saying it had “absolutely no legitimacy”. “I strongly condemn the sentencing of Aiden Aslin and Shaun Pinner, held by Russian plenipotentiaries in eastern Ukraine. They are prisoners of war. This is a sham crisis with absolutely no legitimacy. My thoughts are with the families. We continue to do what we can. to support them, “she said in a statement posted on her verified Twitter account on Thursday. CNN’s Ivana Kottasová, Oleksandra Ochman, Jonny Hallam, Uliana Pavlova and Anna Chernova contributed to the report.
