Brahim Saadoune Explained

Brahim Saâdoune
Arabic: إبراهيم سعدون
Birth Place:Meknes, Morocco
Allegiance: Ukraine
Serviceyears:2021–2022 (Ukraine)
Unit: 36th Separate Marine Brigade[1]
Battles:

Brahim Saâdoune (Arabic: إبراهيم سعدون|Ibrāhīm Saʻdūn; born 2000) is a Moroccan student who joined the Ukrainian Armed Forces as a fighter-volunteer.[2] Saâdoune was captured during the Battle of Volnovakha and sentenced to death by the Supreme Court of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) in what has been described as a "show trial".[3] [4]

On September 21, 2022, Saâdoune was released in a prisoner exchange deal mediated by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman.[5] [6] [7]

Early life and education

Brahim Saâdoune was born in Meknes, Morocco.[8] His father, Tahar, was a veteran of the Royal Moroccan Gendarmerie from Safi.[9] [10] Tahar had served as head of investigations in Agadir, where Brahim finished primary school before moving to Casablanca.[11] [12] He obtained his scientific Baccalaureate in 2018.[13] [14]

Saâdoune moved to Ukraine in 2019 and studied Russian at the Poltava University of Economics and Trade. He had decided to study in Ukraine due to the quality of education and cost.

He later studied aeronautical engineering at the Kyiv Polytechnic Institute's Institute of Aerospace Technologies.[15] [16] Saâdoune was allegedly given Ukrainian nationality in 2020 after undergoing a year of military training as a requirement to access aerospace technology.[17] [18]

At the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Morocco launched a major repatriation campaign, it was initially planned for Saâdoune to have been repatriated to Morocco through Poland.[19]

Military career

In November 2021, Saâdoune signed a three-year contract with the Armed Forces of Ukraine.[20] He had joined the army to "fight injustice", as well as to gain military experience.[21] Shaun Pinner had helped Saâdoune join the armed forces over Facebook.

In the months before the invasion, Saâdoune was deployed to Mariupol, serving in the 36th Separate Marine Brigade. In the army, he served as a driver and a translator, as he knew Russian, Ukrainian, English, French, Arabic, and Berber.[22]

After the invasion started, he fought alongside Ukrainian forces in the besieged city of Mariupol.[23]

Capture and trial

Saâdoune surrendered and was later captured by Russian forces on March 12, 2022, during the Battle of Volnovakha.[24] An interview with Saâdoune was broadcast on Channel One Russia, where he was portrayed as a mercenary. During the interview, he claimed that he was very scared during his capture.[25]

After he was captured, he was taken to Donetsk and was tried along with two British fighters, Aiden Aslin and Shaun Pinner. Saâdoune and Pinner plead not guilty to "mercenary" charges, but admitted involvement in fighting "intending to overturn constitutional order".[26]

The Supreme Court of the Donetsk People's Republic sentenced the trio to death for mercenarism, trying to overturn constitutional order, and undergoing training to carry out terrorist activities.[27] Their trial has been described as a "show trial".

The day after his sentencing, Saâdoune told Russia Today that he "didn't know what was going to happen", and that he "was ready for anything".[28] [29] Saâdoune's lawyer, Yelena Vesnina, said that she did not expect the sentence, and called it "very harsh".[30] [31]

While there is a moratorium on the death penalty in Russia, it does not apply in the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic.[32] [33] A moratorium on the death penalty for "foreign mercenaries" was later adopted by the self-proclaimed parliament of the Donetsk Republic.[34]

Reactions

On June 12, Denis Pushilin, head of the Donetsk People's Republic, said that no mercy should be shown to the fighters, saying that "they came to Ukraine to kill civilians for money, that's why I don't see any conditions for any mitigation or modification of the sentence".[35] Natalia Nikonorva, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the DPR chastised Britain and Morocco and said saying they "do not care at all about the fate of their citizens", reiterating that the two countries have not contacted them.[36] [37] The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights has said that the death sentence being carried out in their case could be considered as a war crime.[38] [39]

Following the trial, Russian TV anchor and propagandist Vladimir Solovyov discussed different ways to kill the trio on his show, Evening with Vladimir Solovyov on Russia-1, with his panel debating whether to shoot, hang, dismember or release them for ransom.[40]

Ukrainian friends of Saâdoune called on the UK to help him get released.[41] [42] According to his girlfriend, Brahim's sentence may be a result of trying to "increase his price", however, she does not know what the Russians want in return for him. She last spoke to him on March 27.[43]

On 17 June, the European Court of Human Rights issued an emergency ruling against Russia and Ukraine following a complaint by Saâdoune. The court ordered Russia and Ukraine to ensure the death penalty was not executed. The court stressed that Russia was still obliged to follow the court's rules. The court also said it was considering the issue of jurisdiction, as Brahim was being held by the internationally unrecognized DPR.[44] [45] Earlier in June, the Russian State Duma passed a law to end the court's jurisdiction in Russia, but it has not yet been signed into law.[46]

Reactions in Morocco

The Moroccan Embassy in Kyiv released a brief statement saying that Saâdoune "enlisted in the Ukrainian army of his own free will", and is "currently imprisoned by an entity which is recognized neither by the United Nations nor by Morocco".[47] [48] The statement claimed that Saâdoune had "Ukrainian citizenship", and he was "captured wearing the uniform of the State Army of Ukraine".[49]

The Moroccan-Russian Friendship Association and the Moroccan Committee for Peace and Solidarity appealed directly to Russia to intervene on humanitarian grounds.[50] [51] The Moroccan Coalition Against the Death Penalty sent a letter to the Head of Government and Ministry of Foreign Affairs urging the government to intervene.

Saâdoune's father, Tahar, thanked Russian forces for "preserving the life of their son" at a press conference in Rabat.[52] [53] During the press conference, he affirmed that Brahim was "a Ukrainian citizen", and denied claims that Brahim was a mercenary. He urged "the Moroccan government, a country that moved a mountain to save Rayan a few months ago, to intervene".

Morocco's National Human Rights Council contacted the Russian Commissioner for Human Rights to "intervene as much as possible to protect the [Saâdoune's] rights".[54] [55]

The Moroccan Association for Human Rights provided lawyers to Saâdoune and was planning to observe his appeal, the association elaborated that Saâdoune was a resident and didn't have Ukrainian citizenship.[56] [57] The Moroccan Center for Human Rights criticized the country's diplomatic silence on the trial, calling for the country to intervene and send lawyers to help Brahim.[58]

Morocco had adopted a policy of neutrality for the Russian invasion of Ukraine and was absent from UN General Assembly votes regarding the invasion, though Morocco said its decision to not participate in said votes "cannot be the subject of any interpretation in relation to its position of principle concerning the situation between the Russian Federation and Ukraine".[59] [60]

On 15 June, Morocco's House of Councillors requested that foreign minister Nasser Bourita attend a government accountability session regarding Saâdoune, but Bourita's office refused.

Saâdoune's sister said local press in Morocco and people on social media had celebrated her brother's sentence, as pro-Russian views are more common in the Middle East and Africa than in Europe.[61] [62]

Release

On September 21, 2022, Saâdoune was released with 9 other detainees held by the Donetsk People's Republic in a prisoner exchange between Ukraine and Russia brokered by Saudi Arabia.[63] Saâdoune was in the process of appealing his case, his family had not been previously informed of the prisoner exchange.[64] [65] Oligarch Roman Abramovich claimed that he played a "key role" in the prisoner exchange deal.[66]

Saâdoune's father, Tahar, thanked the Saudi authorities "who contributed to the release of Brahim, after King Mohammed VI personally took charge of the case".[67]

Saâdoune arrived in Casablanca and reunited with his family on September 24, 2022, following a medical checkup in Riyadh.[68] [69] Saâdoune said that he had "suffered from imprisonment but will recover and get back to studying".[70]

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Olexandra . Zakharova . "DPR" announces execution of three foreigners — Mariupol defenders: What to happen to Azov . 2022-06-14 . The Page . June 9, 2022 . en.
  2. Web site: Kataja . Marika . 2022-07-01 . Sotavangiksi jäänyttä pikkuveljeä uhkaa kuolemantuomio Itä-Ukrainassa – "Hänet on jätetty yksin" . 2022-09-23 . Yle Uutiset . fi.
  3. Web site: HILL-CAWTHORNE . LAWRENCE . 2022-06-14 . Ukraine: why the 'show trial' of British POWs violates Geneva Conventions . 2022-09-23 . THE CONVERSATION FRANCE . en-US.
  4. News: Roth . Andrew . Sauer . Pjotr . 2022-06-11 . Moroccan sentenced to death is a victim of Russian 'games', friends say . .
  5. Web site: 21 September 2022 . MBS Obtient de Poutine la libération du marocain Saâdoun . Le Desk.
  6. Web site: Machloukh . Anass . Brahim Saadoune libéré grâce à l'entremise de l'Arabie saoudite . 2022-09-23 . L'Opinion . fr.
  7. News: Reeves . Jay . Russian separatists release 10, including 2 US veterans . en-US . . Associated Press . 2022-09-23 . 0190-8286.
  8. Web site: Kozlowski . Nina . Maroc : qui est Brahim Saadoun, le combattant marocain condamné à mort en Ukraine ? . 2022-09-23 . . June 10, 2022 . fr-FR.
  9. Web site: Affaire Brahim Saâdoun : Bons baisers de Donetsk . 2022-09-23 . Maroc-Hebdo . fr.
  10. Web site: Affaire Brahim Saâdoun : Marocain il est, marocain il reste! . 2022-09-23 . Maroc-Hebdo . fr.
  11. Web site: Rachidi . Khalil . Nouvelles révélations sur l'étudiant marocain, Brahim Saadoun, arrêté par l'armée russe . 2022-09-23 . Le360.
  12. Web site: 2022-06-10 . حقائق مغيبة عن الطالب المعتقل بروسيا جريدة الصباح . 2022-09-23 . Assabah . ar.
  13. Web site: Tahar Saadoun, père de Brahim Saâdoun, se confie à Maroc Hebdo . 2022-09-23 . Maroc-Hebdo . fr.
  14. Web site: Libération de Brahim Saâdoun : La famille du jeune remercie le Roi Mohammed VI et tous ceux qui l'ont soutenu . 2022-09-23 . Maroc-Hebdo . fr.
  15. Web site: Aamari . Oussama . 2022-06-11 . Moroccan Man Who Fought With Ukraine Sentenced to Death in Donetsk . Morocco World News.
  16. Web site: El Grari . Hind . Affaire Saâdoun: Pouchiline affirme que « tout est prêt » pour l'exécution . 2022-09-23 . Le Desk . fr-FR.
  17. News: Eljechtimi . Ahmed . 2022-06-13 . Moroccan sentenced to death in Donetsk has Ukrainian nationality and isn't a mercenary, father says . en . . 2022-09-23.
  18. News: U.K. Condemns Death Sentence Handed To Foreign Fighters By Separatist Court In Ukraine . 2022-09-23 . . en.
  19. Web site: 2022-06-12 . Ce que l'on sait de l'affaire Brahim Saadoun, le jeune marocain condamné à mort au Donbass . 2022-06-12 . Médias24 . fr-FR.
  20. Web site: Гуляева . Шура . "Он взял с собой на службу детский рюкзак-собачку — талисман, который всегда рядом" . 2022-09-23 . Журнал DOXA . ru.
  21. News: Штекель . Михайло . Марокканця і британців, які пішли до ЗСУ, хочуть стратити у Донецьку . 2022-06-20 . Радіо Свобода . June 10, 2022 . uk.
  22. Web site: Balduk . Chiem . 2022-06-11 . Student Brahim wilde Oekraïne beschermen, maar krijgt nu de doodstraf . . nl.
  23. Web site: Beraud . Benjamin . 2022-06-21 . Guerre en Ukraine : qui est Brahim Saadoun, ce jeune marocain condamné à mort par les sépartistes pro-russes ? . 2022-09-23 . TV5MONDE . fr.
  24. Web site: 2022-06-11 . U.K. Condemns Death Sentence Handed To Foreign Fighters By Separatist Court In Ukraine . Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.
  25. Web site: Aamari . Oussama . Moroccan Who Fought With Ukraine to Face Trial in Donetsk . 2022-06-11 . Morocco World News . en.
  26. Web site: EL-BARAKAH . TARIK . 2022-06-27 . 'I want my son back': Moroccan's father pleads with Putin . 2022-09-24 . The Associated Press . en.
  27. News: Filiu . Jean-Pierre . 2022-08-01 . War in Ukraine: The death sentence making Morocco uncomfortable . en . . 2022-09-23.
  28. Web site: Drissi . Ziad . Brahim Saadoun, condamné à la peine de mort : "J'étais prêt à tout" . 2022-09-25 . TelQuel . fr.
  29. Web site: Zainabi . Manal . Affaire Brahim Saadoun : soldat "Brian" ou mercenaire Brahim ? . 2022-09-25 . TelQuel . fr.
  30. Web site: المبارك . محمد . خلاف مع والده/ شاب تائه/ يعتبر الأمر مجرد لعبة.. محامية إبراهيم سعدون تكشف معطيات مهمة عن موكلها . 2022-06-15 . كيفاش . ar.
  31. Web site: Saih . Yasmine . 2022-06-30 . Affaire Brahim Saadoun: Son avocate témoigne . 2022-09-23 . Hespress . fr-FR.
  32. News: Vasilyeva . Nataliya . 2022-06-09 . British fighters Aiden Aslin and Shaun Pinner sentenced to death by Russian-backed court . en-GB . The Daily Telegraph. 2022-06-09 . 0307-1235.
  33. Web site: ZULOAGA . J.M. . 2022-06-11 . Brahim Saadoun, el marroquí condenado a muerte por participar en la guerra de Ucrania . La Razón . es.
  34. Web site: Saoudi . Badr . Moratoire sur la condamnation à mort du jeune marocain Brahim Saadoun en Ukraine . 2022-09-25 . Arab News . July 11, 2022 . fr.
  35. News: Kilner . James . 2022-06-12 . No mercy for death row British fighters Aiden Aslin and Shaun Pinner, says rebel leader . en-GB . The Telegraph . 2022-06-12 . 0307-1235.
  36. Web site: بخساس . شيماء . بوريطة يرفض الحضور للبرلمان لتقديم توضيحات حول إبراهيم سعدون المحكوم بالإعدام . 2022-06-15 . اليوم 24 – أخبار اليوم على مدار الساعة . ar.
  37. Web site: Naanaa . Saloua . Autorités de Donetsk : "Le Maroc ne nous a pas contactés officiellement" au sujet de Brahim Saadoun . 2022-09-25 . TelQuel . fr.
  38. Web site: Gayle . Phil . 2022-06-11 . Moroccan fighter sentenced to death is 'victim of this war,' friend says . Deutsche Welle.
  39. Web site: Kasraoui . Safaa . Kind and Open-Minded: Brahim Saadoun's Friends Call on UK To Save Him . 2022-09-25 . Morocco World News . en.
  40. Web site: Conversaţie suprarealistă la televiziunea rusă: "Îi spânzurăm sau îi tăiem?" . 2022-06-14 . Mediafax.ro . ro.
  41. Web site: 2022-06-12 . UK government urged to aid Moroccan man facing death penalty in Ukraine war . 2022-06-12 . Al Arabiya English . en.
  42. Web site: 2022-06-12 . UK urged to aid Moroccan facing death penalty in Ukraine war . 2022-09-25 . HESPRESS . en-US.
  43. Web site: 2022-06-13 . Rosjanie chcą się targować? Dziewczyna skazańca przemówiła . 2022-06-14 . o2 . pl.
  44. Web site: European Court grants urgent measures in case of prisoner of war sentenced to death in the so-called "Donetsk People's Republic" . 2022-09-23 . European Court of Human Rights.
  45. Web site: Desai . Shweta . ECHR orders Russia to prevent execution of Moroccan who fought for Ukraine . 2022-06-17 . Anadolu Agency.
  46. News: Russian State Duma Votes To Quit European Court Of Human Rights . 2022-06-17 . RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty . en.
  47. Web site: 2022-06-13 . Morocco's Embassy in Kyiv reveals Ibrahim Saadoun was in naval unit, enlisted by free will . 2022-09-23 . HESPRESS . en-US.
  48. Web site: Affaire Brahim Saadoun: premières réactions du Maroc . 2022-09-25 . Arab News . June 14, 2022 . fr.
  49. Web site: Bakbach . Soulaimane . Moroccan public push for Ukraine death sentence citizen's release . 2022-06-14 . Al Jazeera . en.
  50. Web site: مطالب بتدخل السلطات في قضية الطالب إبراهيم سعدون . 2022-06-15 . اليوم 24 – أخبار اليوم على مدار الساعة . ar.
  51. Web site: Saoudi . Badr . Ukraine: Deux ONG marocaines intercèdent auprès de Poutine pour Brahim Saadoun . 2022-09-25 . Arab News . June 12, 2022 . fr.
  52. Web site: 2022-06-27 . Father of captured Brahim Saadoun thanks Russian forces for 'preserving life' of his son . 2022-09-25 . HESPRESS . en-US.
  53. Web site: Jaouhar . Aymane . Le père de Brahim Saadoun : "Mon fils ne craint pas la mort" . 2022-09-25 . TelQuel . fr.
  54. Web site: Affaire Brahim Saadoun : le CNDH entre en jeu . 2022-09-23 . L'Opinion . fr.
  55. Web site: Jaouhar . Aymane . Affaire Brahim Saadoun : le CNDH écrit à la Russie afin de le sauver de l'exécution . 2022-09-25 . TelQuel . fr.
  56. Web site: 2022-06-23 . Affaire Brahim Saadoun : un collectif d'avocats marocains suivra le jugement en appel . 2022-09-23 . Médias24 . fr-FR.
  57. Web site: 2022-06-21 . AMDH says Brahim Saadoun does not have Ukrainian citizenship, enlists lawyer for his defense . 2022-09-23 . HESPRESS . en-US.
  58. Web site: Oussama . Aamari . Brahim Saadoun Sentence: CNDH Calls on Morocco to Intervene . 2022-06-13 . Morocco World News . en.
  59. Web site: Khabbachi . Soufiane . Maroc : les autorités réagissent à l'affaire Brahim Saadoun . 2022-06-14 . . fr-FR.
  60. Web site: Maroc: L'ex-prisonnier de guerre veut sensibiliser à «la lutte du peuple ukrainien» . 2022-09-25 . Arab News . September 25, 2022 . fr.
  61. News: 2022-06-21 . 'He's been betrayed': sister of Moroccan man captured in Ukraine pleads for help . 2022-06-23 . The Guardian. en.
  62. Web site: How Russia is winning the information war in the Middle East. . 26 August 2022.
  63. Web site: Sabbagh . Dan . 2022-09-23 . Saudi foreign minister defends role in securing Ukraine prisoner swaps . 2022-09-25 . the Guardian . en.
  64. Web site: Russian invaders released Moroccan who was "sentenced" to death . 2022-09-23 . Ukrainska Pravda . en.
  65. Web site: Benargane . Yassine . Ukraine : Le Donetsk prolonge le délai permettant à Brahim Saadoun d'interjeter appel . 2022-09-23 . Yabiladi . fr.
  66. Web site: Abramovich played 'key part' in release of Britons held by Russian-backed troops . 2022-09-25 . The Times of Israel . en-US.
  67. Web site: Jaouhar . Aymane . Tahar Saadoun : "Le roi Mohammed VI est intervenu auprès du prince héritier saoudien pour libérer mon fils" . 2022-09-25 . TelQuel . fr.
  68. Web site: Ukraine-Russie: Brahim Saadoun rentre ce samedi au Maroc . 2022-09-24 . TelQuel . fr.
  69. Web site: 2022-09-22 . Libéré grâce à une médiation saoudienne: L'étudiant Brahim Saadoun rentrera bientôt au bercail . 2022-09-24 . Hespress . fr-FR.
  70. Web site: 2022-09-25 . Ibrahim Saadoun wishes to shed light on 'Ukrainian people's struggle' after return to Morocco . 2022-09-25 . HESPRESS . en-US.

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