Ukraine: No pardon for British and Moroccan men sentenced to death, pro-Russian separatist leader says

The British Government says Aslin and Pinner were regular soldiers and should be exempt under the Geneva Conventions from prosecution for participation in hostilities

Two British citizens Aiden Aslin, left, and Shaun Pinner, right, and Moroccan Saaudun Brahim, center, sit behind bars in a courtroom in Donetsk, in the territory which is under the Government of the Donetsk People's Republic control, eastern Ukraine. Picture: AP Photo

The leader of the Russian-backed separatist Donetsk region of Ukraine said on Sunday there was no reason to pardon two British nationals and a Moroccan man who were sentenced to death last week after being captured while fighting for Ukraine.

A court in the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic on Thursday found Aiden Aslin, Shaun Pinner and Brahim Saadoun guilty of "mercenary activities" seeking to overthrow the republic