Briton Shaun Pinner Sentenced to Death in Donbass May Face Life Term Instead of Execution - Lawyer

On Thursday, Denis Pushilin, head of the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR), stated that the republic would decide on the execution of UK and Moroccan mercenaries no sooner than in a month.

British national Shaun Pinner, who was earlier sentenced to death in the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR), may face a life sentence instead of execution, Pinner's lawyer Yulia Tserkovnikova has stated.

“We can consider changing the [death] sentence to life imprisonment as an alternative. But it is the DPR’s court who will made the decision,” she said in an interview with the news website Ukraina.ru.

Tserkovnikova added that the appeal against the verdict would not be based on evidence of Pinner’s innocence.

"Let's start with the fact that during both the preliminary investigation and the trial, all the rights of my client were respected. As soon as the verdict comes into force, I think that everyone will be able to make sure that the guilt [of Pinner] has been proven in full. Therefore I would not say that the appeal will be based on some evidence of innocence,” she stressed.

According to Tserknovnikova, her client "clings to every opportunity despite the fact that he pleaded guilty to the crimes that he has committed."

When asked on what the appeal would be based, she said that they would “appeal to humanity and universal human values”.

She also argued that during the recent court session, her client repented that he had fought for Ukraine. “In the course of the hearing, such words [of repentance] were heard in the debates; I can’t assess their sincerity,” Tserkovnikova said.

She spoke after DPR head Denis Pushilin said that the Donbass republic’s Ministry of Justice would make a decision on Pinner’s execution no sooner than in a month.

On June 9, the DPR’s Supreme Court sentenced UK citizens Aiden Aslin and Shaun Pinner, as well as Moroccan Saadun Brahim, who were earlier captured while fighting for the Ukrainian forces, to death.

All three mercenaries had previously pleaded guilty on charges of trying to seize power by force, which is punishable up to death in accordance with DPR laws. UK citizen Aiden Aslin also pleaded guilty to undergoing training for the purpose of engaging in terrorist activities. The court ruled that all three received payment for fighting on the side of Ukrainian forces.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov urged the international community and media not to speculate on the DPR sentencing the three mercenaries.

“At the moment, all of the processes you have mentioned are based on the laws of the Donetsk People's Republic, because the crimes in question were committed on the territory of the DPR. Everything else is a subject for speculation; I would not interfere in the work of the judicial and legal system of the Donetsk People's Republic,” Lavrov told reporters earlier this month.

Russian and Donbass Republics forces have repeatedly urged foreigners to stay out of the conflict in Ukraine, with the Russian military warning that the rules of warfare do not apply to mercenaries, and that anyone who was captured alive would be held criminally liable for their actions. The call came amid Russia's ongoing special operation to demilitarise and de-Nazify Ukraine that has been under way since 24 February.