Ukraine war: ‘Fair trial’ urged for Moroccan fighter facing death penalty
- Brahim Saadoun, a Moroccan citizen, was sentenced to death on June 9 along with two British men by a court in Donetsk, a self-proclaimed statelet in Ukraine
- Amina Bouayach, president of the National Council of Human Rights (CNDH), has contacted the High Commissioner for Human Rights in the Russian Federation
Morocco’s national human rights body has urged Russian authorities to guarantee a “fair trial” for a young national appealing a death sentence imposed by a pro-Russian court in Ukraine.
Brahim Saadoun, a Moroccan citizen born in 2000, was sentenced to death on June 9 along with two British men by a court in Donetsk, a self-proclaimed statelet in eastern Ukraine.
The trio have been accused of acting as mercenaries for Ukraine following Russia’s invasion of its neighbour.
Amina Bouayach, president of the National Council of Human Rights (CNDH), has contacted the High Commissioner for Human Rights in the Russian Federation, a source from the Moroccan rights council told Agence France-Presse on Sunday.
She has urged the Russian body to take “the necessary steps to ensure Brahim Saadoun receives a fair trial during his appeal,” the source said.
Taher Saadoun, father of the accused, has said his son, who obtained Ukrainian citizenship in 2020, “is not a mercenary”, calling him instead a “victim of manipulation”.