Kyiv clubbers rally to save friend Brahim Saadoun from execution in eastern Ukraine

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  • Creators of the #SaveBrahim campaign speak out about how to help the Morrocan-born marine, who was arrested and sentenced to death while fighting for Ukraine.
  • Kyiv clubbers rally to save friend Brahim Saadoun from execution in eastern Ukraine image
  • Not so long ago, nightlife lover Brahim Saadoun was a familiar face at Kyiv club (AKA K41). Now, he sits behind bars in the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic (DPR), awaiting execution. Saadoun, who was born in Morocco but holds Ukrainian residency, enlisted in the Ukrainian Marines late last year. He was deployed to Mariupol before Russia's full-scale invasion in February and captured in mid-April at Azovstal steel works, a besieged metal factory, after his team ran out of supplies. On June 9th, the 21-year-old was sentenced to death in what the Guardian and others have called a "show trial" at a Russian proxy court in the DPR. Two British men, Aiden Aslin and Shaun Pinner, were tried on the same day and given the same sentence. The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights responded by condemning the trial and sentences as a "war crime." On June 16th, the European Court of Human Rights called on Saadoun's sentence to be reversed. According to Russia's Interfax news agency, which quoted a court official at the show trial, the three men were convicted of "mercenary activities and committing actions aimed at seizing power and overthrowing the constitutional order of the DPR." But Saadoun was simply an active-duty marine, insists his friend Muiz Avghonzoda. "I have copies of all those documents," Avghonzoda told Resident Advisor, "medical examination certificate, his application, his contract, his reference letters from the university and some other institutions. I even have his physical passport. He holds a Ukrainian residence permit, it will expire in 2024." Saadoun and Avghonzoda met on the dance floor at K41, a popular Kyiv club that opened in 2019. Saadoun formed many friendships this way. Avghonzoda and Dasha Oliynyk, who are both based in Kyiv, started the #SaveBrahim campaign together. They are two of many people rallying for him. "We have teams helping Brahim, Telegram groups, all of them are the clubbing people," said Avghonzoda. "All of them are from K41. Even some employees. They ask how they can help." Since Saadoun's arrest, these groups have blanketed social media with appeals, contacted international press and reached out to multiple NGOs to help secure his release. "We're doing whatever we can," said Avghonzoda. "I personally was getting in touch with the prosecutor general's office of the so-called DPR." Saadoun moved to Ukraine in 2019 and established residency while studying aeronautics. But over time, the ongoing occupation of eastern Ukraine caused his interests to shift. "He started to talk about how he wants to join the military, he felt kind of useless—he wanted to do something useful, find his way into life," said Avghonzoda. Oliynyk added: "I was there when Brahim was leaving for his military training. He was very excited, a little bit nervous. He's kind of a kid. But he truly believed he might be useful there—he could do good, apply his skills there." Saadoun was a regular at K41. "Every time I met him there, he was just running around the club, from one room to another room, like meeting people, meeting people, meeting people," Oliynyk said. "It was crazy but also fun. Also, of course, a lot of deep conversations." Avghonzoda clearly remembers the night he met Saadoun at K41. "I noticed a guy in there who was very loud and had an amazing energy," he said. "We just started talking because we had lots of things in common, about Middle Eastern parents, about how it's hard to live in Ukraine and face this new culture. We became close friends. He would always bring me water." After Saadoun joined the army, "K41 was never the same again," Oliynyk added, "because Brahim was like the spirit of it." For anyone interested in helping Saadoun, public attention is key, Avghonzoda and Oliynyk said. "First, post about it, just a repost sometimes can be a big help," said Avghonzoda. "Finding more contacts can help, too. Find contact information of journalists, ask them to write about it [...] We need an audience, a big audience." He added: "Our community needs [Saadoun] because he's extraordinary. He has the soul of a leader, of a warrior. He should stay alive. We've got to keep helping him."
RA