Since it was determined that the relevant section of the Criminal Code will not go into effect until after 2025, the Britons who were captured in the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) may not be sentenced to death.
According to Sergei Tsekov, a member of the Federation Council, the authorities would have a chance to consider all the advantages and disadvantages before deciding whether to execute or pardon the British citizens.
The Penitentiary Code was enacted by the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) on July 1. The code’s provisions regarding the death sentence will take effect in 2.5 years. The Penitentiary Code states that the provisions regarding the death penalty shall take effect on January 1, 2025.
“I think this is a very reasonable step that will make it possible to carefully weigh everything and make a decision on whether to execute or pardon,” Tsekov told lenta.ru publication.
“We understand that hostilities will continue for a long time, many people will be captured, the vast majority of them will be sentenced to death, but the DPR takes time to think about this decision,” the senator said.
According to the senator, a lot could change in the next 2.5 years. For instance, Russia may annexe the DPR and LPR, and Russia has suspended the death penalty.
“One must understand that serious discussions about the death penalty are underway in Russia. Besides, the decision to execute is a double-edged one. If we decide to execute the prisoners, the Ukrainian side may make the same decision in relation to our military. Anyhow, the Brits now have a chance. This is a rather soft policy, in contrast to the stupid policy of the West,” the politician emphasised.
Shaun Pinner, a 48-year-old British man, Aiden Aslin, a 28-year-old American man, and Saadoun Brahim, a 21-year-old Moroccan man, were all given death sentences by the DPR Supreme Court on June 9. They were judged accountable for mercenarism and the unlawful taking of power.