"I ask Russian President Vladimir Putin to intervene, as a father and out of humanism, through humanitarian or unofficial channels", implored Tahar Saadoun during a press conference in Rabat.
The father of Brahim Saadoun, the young Moroccan sentenced to death for "mercenarism" by the pro-Russian separatist authorities in Ukraine, urged the master of the Kremlin on Monday to intervene in favor of his son.
Brahim Saadoun, 21, was sentenced to death on June 9, along with two Britons, by separatist authorities in Donetsk, eastern Ukraine, for having participated in the fighting as "mercenaries" with the army Ukrainian.
The father of this aeronautical engineering student established in Ukraine since 2019 also called on the head of the Moroccan government, Aziz Akhannouch, "to do what is necessary to work on this file".
A retired gendarmerie investigator, he specified that the Moroccan authorities "did not contact" him, adding "I do not know whether they have established contact with the Russian authorities or those of Donetsk".
Currently imprisoned
The Moroccan government reacted on June 13 through its embassy in Ukraine, stating only that Brahim Saadoun "was captured wearing the uniform of the Ukrainian State army, as a member of a unit of the Ukrainian Navy.
The young man said he had Ukrainian nationality, according to Moroccan diplomatic sources in kyiv.
Tahar Saadoun confirmed on Monday that his son had enlisted in the Ukrainian navy in 2021. "When he was captured, he was wearing the official uniform of the Ukrainian army and he was receiving his orders from his superiors", said detailed the father.
He "is currently imprisoned by an entity which is recognized neither by the United Nations nor by Morocco", underlined the Moroccan diplomacy, without further comment.
Moroccan NGOs have already asked the Moroccan government to intervene to "save" Brahim Saadoun, whose state of health - "his face was marked by lack of sleep and he lost weight" - worried his family during his appearance in court.
His relatives hope for an early release: "I would like my son to be released immediately and that I go and get him, but because of my job (as a gendarme) and my knowledge of international law, I say that we must respect the justice,” pleaded Tahar Saadoun.
