Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

G7 leaders condemn ‘sham’ trials for Britons fighting in Ukraine

Aiden Aslin and Shaun Pinner were sentenced to death by courts in a Russian proxy breakaway state in eastern Ukraine.

David Hughes
Monday 27 June 2022 07:37 EDT
World leaders at the G7 summit in Germany have condemned the ‘sham’ trials which saw death sentences handed to two Britons for fighting Russian forces in Ukraine (PA)
World leaders at the G7 summit in Germany have condemned the ‘sham’ trials which saw death sentences handed to two Britons for fighting Russian forces in Ukraine (PA) (PA Wire)

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

World leaders have condemned the “sham” trials which saw death sentences handed to two Britons for fighting Russian forces in Ukraine.

Aiden Aslin, 28, originally from Newark in Nottinghamshire, and Shaun Pinner, 48, from Bedfordshire, have been treated as foreign “mercenaries” by pro-Russian authorities in the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR), who handed down the sentences to the men who were fighting for the Ukrainian army.

Leaders at the G7 summit in Germany condemned the trials as they urged Russia to comply with its obligations under international law.

We condemn the sham 'trials' resulting in application of the death sentence to members of the Ukrainian armed forces

G7 leaders' statement

Mr Aslin and Mr Pinner were both living in Ukraine before the invasion and the UK Government has insisted that, as legitimate members of the Ukrainian armed forces, they should be treated as prisoners of war under the Geneva Convention.

Boris Johnson and his fellow G7 leaders made reference to death sentences handed to members of the Ukrainian armed forces, without explicitly referring to the cases of the two Britons.

The G7 statement on Ukraine said: “Russia and its proxies must respect international humanitarian law, including the rights and protections afforded to prisoners of war under the Geneva Conventions.

“We condemn the sham ‘trials’ resulting in application of the death sentence to members of the Ukrainian armed forces.”

The G7 statement follows condemnation by the United Nations human rights watchdog, which described the sentences as a “war crime”.

The two Britons and Moroccan Saaudun Brahim were captured while reportedly defending the southern port city of Mariupol.

The statement issued by G7 leaders at Schloss Elmau in the Bavarian Alps came after they were addressed by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who appeared via video-link from Kyiv.

The seven leaders of the UK, US, Canada, Japan, France, Germany and Italy promised to support Ukraine “for as long as it takes”.

They said: “We will continue to provide financial, humanitarian, military and diplomatic support and stand with Ukraine for as long as it takes.

“As we do so, we commit to demonstrate global responsibility and solidarity through working to address the international impacts of Russia’s aggression, especially on the most vulnerable.”

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in