The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) Thursday urged Russia to keep two British members of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (UAF) who were sentenced to death in the largely unrecognized Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) alive and to ensure that their conditions of detention are “appropriate.”

The court granted urgent measures in the case after applicants Shaun Pinner and Aiden Aslin asked the court for reprieve after their death sentence. Both are British citizens who settled in Ukraine and joined the UAF in 2018.  They were deployed to the 36th Detached Marine Brigade of the UAF in Mariupol. During the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Russian authorities announced on 13 April 2022 that 1,026 personnel of UAF, surrendered to the Russian forces in Mariupol.

On 9 June 2022, a DPR court sentenced them to death under Donetsk’s Criminal Code. Later, on 27 June 2022, both the applicants submitted an application before the ECHR under Rule 39 to protect their rights under the European Convention on Human Rights.

The Court further directed the Ukrainian Government to ensure respect that the rights of Shaun Pinner and Aiden Aslin are respected and invited them to submit relevant information within two weeks.

Earlier the ECHR also granted interim measures in the case of Brahim Saadoune, a Moroccan national, who was also sentenced to death by Donetsk on 9 June 2022.