Briton who faces death penalty for fighting in Ukraine appears in court

World

Three Britons have pleaded not guilty to mercenary charges at a Russian-backed separatist court in Ukraine.

John Harding, Andrew Hill and Dylan Healy are among a group of five European men on trial in a court administered by Kremlin-backed separatists in the city of Donetsk.

Mr Harding, Vjekoslav Prebeg, who is Croatian, and Mathias Gustafsson, a Swede, who were captured in and around the port city of Mariupol, could face a possible death sentence under the laws of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic.

Russia leaves thousands of troops ‘stranded’ in tactical withdrawal – live updates

All five men pleaded not guilty to charges of mercenarism and “undergoing training to seize power by force”, Russian state-owned news agency TASS reported.

The next court hearing in their case is scheduled for October, the Interfax news agency reported, citing a statement by the separatists’ court.

Mr Healy, 22, who was in Ukraine as an aid worker, was seized at a checkpoint south of the city of Zaporizhzhia in April alongside fellow British national Paul Urey. He died in custody in July after being charged with committing “mercenary activities”. Mr Hill, a military volunteer, was also captured in April by Russian forces.

More on Russia

Mr Harding had been fighting in eastern Ukraine’s Donbas region since 2018 before he was captured.

Originally from Sunderland, he appealed for help from Boris Johnson last month after being told he could be handed a death sentence.

Image:
John Harding is facing a death sentence if convicted

In June, the Donetsk authorities sentenced to death two Britons, Aiden Aslin, 28, and Shaun Pinner, 48, and Moroccan national Saaudun Brahim, accused of being mercenaries.

They were all captured by Russian forces while fighting in Ukraine and all three have appealed against their verdicts.

Read more:
Family members of Britons facing death penalty in Donetsk speak of their devastation
Steven Seagal visits prison holding Ukrainian detainees days after dozens killed in attack

Ukrainian social media has been speculating that the Kremlin may seek to use the foreign fighters to extract concessions from Ukraine or swap them for Russian prisoners.

Subscribe to the Ukraine War Diaries on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify and Spreaker

Foreign governments have declined to negotiate with the Donetsk People’s Republic, one of two Russian-backed entities that have controlled parts of east Ukraine’s Donbas region since 2014, citing its internationally recognised status as part of Ukraine.

Products You May Like

Articles You May Like

Taylor Swift’s father will not face charges for allegedly punching Australian photographer
People can’t stop bringing up the 23-year age gap in Aaron Taylor-Johnson’s marriage
For the first time, Russia admits it’s “in a state of war” with Ukraine
Maritime expert reacts to ship hitting Baltimore bridge, causing collapse
UConn’s Dan Hurley says lack of Big East teams in NCAA’s March Madness ‘sucks’

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *