Briton John Harding, Croat Vjekoslav Prebeg and Swedish citizen Mathias Gustafsson, who were arrested in and around the port of Mariupol, face a possible death penalty under the laws of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic, Russian state news agency TASS reported. . Two more Britons, Dylan Healy and Andrew Hill, were also charged but do not face execution. All five defendants pleaded not guilty to the charges, TASS reported. Sign up now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Register It reported that the judge said the trial would continue in early October. Foreign nationals Vjekoslav Prebeg from Croatia, Dylan Healy from Britain, John Harding from Britain, Mathias Gustafsson from Sweden and Andrew Hill from Britain, who were captured by pro-Russian forces while allegedly fighting for Ukrainian troops during Ukraine-Russia conflict, stand inside a defendants’ cage during a hearing in Donetsk, Ukraine, August 15, 2022. REUTERS/Alexander Ermochenko read more Responding to the charges against Prebeg, Croatia’s foreign ministry said: “Croatia rejects the indictment and does not consider it valid and legal because it is against international law and international conventions on the treatment of civilian detainees and prisoners of war. “ Britain’s Foreign Office did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Donetsk authorities in June sentenced to death two Britons and a Moroccan national captured fighting with Ukrainian forces against Russia on charges of trying to seize power by force and being mercenaries. Foreign governments have refused to negotiate with the Donetsk People’s Republic, one of two Russian-backed entities that have controlled parts of eastern Ukraine’s Donbas region since 2014, citing its internationally recognized status as part of Ukraine. Sign up now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Register Additional reporting by Daria Sito-Sucic Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
