UN ‘CONCERNED’ BY FOREIGN FIGHTER DEATH SENTENCES IN DONETSK

Fri 10 June 2022:

The United Nations said Friday it was concerned about the death sentences handed by pro-Moscow separatists to two British and one Moroccan soldier captured by Russian troops while fighting for Ukraine.

“The UN Human Rights Office is concerned about the so-called Supreme Court of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic sentencing three servicemen to death,” spokeswoman Ravina Shamdasani told reporters in Geneva.

“Since 2015, we have observed that the so-called judiciary in these self-proclaimed republics has not complied with essential fair trial guarantees, such as public hearings, independence, impartiality of the courts and the right not to be compelled to testify. Such trials against prisoners of war amount to a war crime.”

🇬🇧This is what the front pages of British newspapers look like today

The main topic is the sentence to death by the “court” of “#DPR” of three foreigners who fought on the side of #Ukraine. Two of them are naturaly-born in #Britain. pic.twitter.com/M5sAvOhyEK

— INDEPENDENT PRESS (@IpIndependent) June 10, 2022

Lavrov says foreign fighters sentenced to death committed crimes in Donetsk

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Friday that the two Britons and one Moroccan sentenced to death on Thursday in the Donetsk People’s Republic had committed crimes on the territory of the self-proclaimed state trying to break away from Ukraine.

Lavrov said: “At the moment, the trials you mentioned are being held on the basis of the legislation of the Donetsk People’s Republic, because the crimes in question were committed on the DPR’s territory.”

Judgement against jailed British men breaches Geneva convention, says UK’s foreign minister

Britain’s foreign minister Liz Truss said on Friday that the judgement against two British men sentenced to death by a court in one of Russia’s proxies in eastern Ukraine was a breach of the Geneva convention. “The judgement against them is an egregious breach of the Geneva convention,” Truss said in a tweet after she spoke with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba to discuss efforts to secure the release of prisoners of war held by Russian proxies.

Spoke with Ukrainian FM @DmytroKuleba to discuss efforts to secure the release of prisoners of war held by Russian proxies. The judgement against them is an egregious breach of the Geneva convention.

The UK continues to back Ukraine against Putin’s barbaric invasion. pic.twitter.com/DyKZAP4HA6

— Liz Truss (@trussliz) June 10, 2022

Foreign fighters’ death sentence shows Russia’s disregard for rights, Berlin says

The death sentences for foreign fighters in Russian-controlled eastern Ukraine are shocking and show Russia’s “complete disregard for the basic principles of humanitarian international law”, a German government spokesperson said on Friday.

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