Join on WhatsApp
Join on Telegram
Rabat – Brahim Saadoun, a young Moroccan man who is currently facing a death sentence for fighting with the Ukrainian army, said his decision to surrender was because he “wanted to live and see again the people I love.”
Saadoun sat for in an interview with the Arabic version of the Russian media RT on June 10 to discuss the conditions of his detention.
He stressed that he has been receiving “a very human treatment” in the center where he is detained, describing the guards behavior as “very professional.”
Sentenced to death on June 9 in a Russian-backed tribunal in Donetsk, the Moroccan national emphasized that despite “not knowing what is going to happen,” he “was ready for everything” when he surrendered.
“I didn’t know how it would turn out, maybe I would be shot, maybe I would die, but I wanted to give myself a second chance,” he added.
Saadoun faced trial on Wednesday along with British citizens Sean Pinner and Andrew Hill, with all three facing charges of war crimes and terrorism.
In a three-minute footage of his interview with RT, Brahim revealed that when he was fighting in the Ukrainian army on the front line for a month and a half, he received a salary equivalent to $1,070. But he was captured by pro-Russian forces back in April.
Saadoun concluded the interview by sending a message to those who would like to join the Ukrainian forces. “For those willing to come to Ukraine and join the army for their extremism, this place is not for you. If you join, you will harm your own country too.”
Saadoun and the two Britons will have a month to appeal their sentence. If successful, the sentence may be reduced to 25 years or life in prison, according to Russia’s news agency.
Saadoun was enrolled at the Faculty of Aerodynamic and Space Technologies at the Kiev Polytechnic Institute (KPI) but he dropped out in 2021 to join the Ukrainian army.
Read Also: Death Sentences For Moroccan, Britons Who Fought For Ukraine Stir Uproar
