Published
Fri, Sep 23, 2022, 15:50
- Months after being sentenced to death in the so-called Donetsk People's Republic, the marine was seen leaving a plane in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, earlier this week.
Moroccan-born marine and regular Kyiv raver Brahim Saadoun has been freed after being sentenced to death in the so-called Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) in occupied eastern Ukraine.
After months of uncertainty, Saadoun's friends, family and human rights lawyer only learned he was free after seeing images of him disembarking a plane in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, earlier this week.
"When I realised, I couldn't even hold myself," Saadoun's older sister, Iman, told Resident Advisor. "It's something out of nowhere, it's the most beautiful moment of my life. I cried."
Captured while serving in the Ukrainian military, Saadoun was sentenced to death in June in a Russian-backed puppet court in the so-called DPR. His friends quickly launched a campaign to secure his release and provide support, drawing on a network of connections Saadoun had established at his favourite Kyiv club, ∄ (AKA K41). He moved to Ukraine in 2019.
Via the #savebrahim campaign, friends passed food and clothes to Saadoun as well as messages. They enlisted the help of human rights lawyer Anna Koszmenko of Ukrainian Helsinki Human Rights Union (UHHRU). The connection to K41 was so strong that one of the few communications from Saadoun in the past months was bestrewn with the club's logo and stamp.
"It was so cute," Muiz Avghonzoda, who met Saadoun on the dance floor at K41, told RA. Through the lawyer, the pair were able to exchange letters, which carried messages from Saadoun to stay strong and spoke of his love for Ukraine and his life there. In a letter between Saadoun and his sister, he said he was waiting for the Ukrainians to come and get the territory.
According to Koszmenko, activism makes a difference. "When you're pushing the government constantly, it helps them to make more effort," she said. "It's extremely important to take actions, to talk about it, to ask countries to make effort, to enter negotiations. It's always better than silence." Koszmenko also worked to pursue "every" possible legal action, including the Ukrainian Security Service, European Court of Human Rights and the United Nations.
Saadoun was one of ten foreign prisoners released by Russia this week as part of a deal brokered with Saudi Arabia. The two British men who stood trial alongside Saadoun—Shaun Pinner and Aiden Aslin— were among the freed.
In addition, more than 200 soldiers were released to Turkey, including some who had defended Mariupol's Azovstal steelworks. In exchange, Russia secured the release of Vladimir Putin ally Viktor Medvedchuk. The deal has been poorly received in Russia, The Wall Street Journal reports.
The deal remains shrouded in secrecy and evidently came as a surprise even to the DPR and Saadoun's court-appointed, Moscow-approved lawyer. Saudi Arabia initially didn't release the names of the prisoners, meaning there was a burst of relief as Saadoun's face appeared descending the airplane staircase. "I was just screaming and dancing, I was so happy," said Avghonzoda. "That was the best day of my life."
Iman and Avghonzoda said the international media and activism—some of which was mobilized via club scenes in Kyiv and around the world—was open and supportive. These efforts were essential partly because Saadoun was a Ukrainian resident and Ukrainian marine, but a Moroccan national. "No country was claiming him, there was this pressure," said Iman. "It was this literal roller coaster. We went hard on the media."
Prisoners in occupied eastern Ukraine still face serious threats to their life and safety, including torture, according to Koszmenko. This includes both members of the military and civilians. (Saadoun appeared bruised in a video recorded by the DPR.)
"There are many, many more prisoners," said Koszmenko. "The more steps you take, the more attention you pay, the more active the government will be."
Iman is still waiting for details of who was involved in Saadoun's deal. She's hoping to go to Saudi Arabia as soon as possible to see her brother and to thank anyone who helped secure his release.
"I want him next to me just so I can keep an eye," she said. "No matter where he goes, I want him to be safe. My brother is a hero."