DONETSK, June 9. /TASS/. UK nationals Shaun Pinner and Aiden Aslin and Moroccan national Brahim Saadoun, sentenced to death on Thursday by a court in Donetsk for participating in hostilities as mercenaries, will appeal the verdict in the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) Supreme Court, a defense lawyer told TASS.

"All the three defendants are willing to appeal the sentence, because they were not ready to hear today’s verdict, sentencing them to capital punishment," Pavel Kosovan said.

The Appeal Chamber for Criminal Cases of the Donetsk People’s Republic Supreme Court found the three foreigners guilty and sentenced them to capital punishment on Thursday. Their appeal will be reviewed by the Supreme Court, the attorney said.

UK nationals Shaun Pinner and Aiden Aslin and Moroccan national Brahim Saadoun stood the trial on charges of taking part in hostilities as mercenaries enlisted by Ukrainian armed units. The Prosecutor General's Office of the Republic previously reported that testimony obtained from Pinner, Aslin and Saadoun proved their involvement in the commission of crimes such as forcible seizure of power and mercenarism.