From the Battlefield to Bureaucracy: Moroccan Fighter Ibrahim Saadoun Faces New Ordeal at Home

Watan-In a tragic turn of events, Moroccan youth Ibrahim Saadoun, who fought alongside the Ukrainian army against the Russian invasion, is now facing a new ordeal in his home country—despite having survived a death sentence.

Although he was freed from prison in the self-proclaimed “Donetsk People’s Republic” through Saudi mediation, Saadoun now finds himself under administrative detention in Morocco, banned from travel, and under constant surveillance.

Saadoun, a Moroccan aerospace engineering student, joined the Ukrainian military in 2021 and was captured in Mariupol in 2022 during intense battles. He was sentenced to death on charges of being a “mercenary” in a trial that legal experts widely condemned as sham and unjust. After being released in an international prisoner exchange deal, he returned to Morocco—only to discover that the nightmare was far from over.

In Morocco, Saadoun was interrogated, had his freedom restricted without legal grounds, and his family reportedly faced threats. He has also been placed under a complete media blackout. Every attempt to obtain a passport has been blocked by layers of bureaucracy and official silence.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian prosecutors continue to pursue legal action against those who sentenced and tortured him, as part of ongoing war crimes investigations. However, their efforts are being hampered by Morocco’s lack of cooperation.

Saadoun’s case highlights the complex challenges faced by Arab citizens who voluntarily took up arms against Russia, and how their acts of bravery have become politically sensitive and legally precarious issues in their home countries.