G7 leaders condemn 'sham trials' for Newark soldier Aidan Aslin fighting in Ukraine
G7 leaders have called the trial of Nottinghamshire soldier, Aidan Aslin, who was sentenced to death after fighting in Ukraine, a sham.
28 -year-old Aidan Aslin from Newark is being held in a prison in Eastern Ukraine, after surrendering to Russian troops when defending the southern port of Mariupol.
After appearing in court, which was not internationally recognised, Aidan was sentenced to death by pro-Russian officials, alongside another British man Shaun Pinner.
The pair are being teated as foreign "mercenaries" by pro-Russian authorities in the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic (DPR), who handed down the sentences to the men who were fighting for the Ukrainian army.
World leaders at the G7 summit in the Bavarian Alps in Germany have called the trial a 'sham'.
A statement from G7 on Ukraine said: "Russia and its proxies must respect international humanitarian law, including the rights and protections afforded to prisoners of war under the Geneva Conventions."
"We condemn the sham 'trials' resulting in the application of the death sentence to members of the Ukrainian armed forces."
Aidan was living in Ukraine when Russia invaded the country four months ago and was sworn into the Ukrainian army before being captured in April.
The UK Government has insisted that, as legitimate members of the Ukrainian armedforces, they should be treated as prisoners of war under the Geneva Convention.