Iraqi twin brothers went on trial Tuesday (December 13th) in Finland over their alleged role in a 2014 massacre of up to 1,700 unarmed recruits by the "Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant" (ISIL) in Iraq, AFP reported.

The 24-year-old brothers, who came to Finland as asylum seekers in September 2015 and were arrested a few months later, have pleaded not guilty to the charges.

The trial began on Tuesday with procedural matters, and the defendants were not in the courtroom.

The prosecution is seeking life in prison for the brothers' alleged role in the massacre of unarmed, mostly Shiite military recruits captured outside the Speicher military base in Tikrit.

One of the two brothers is believed to appear in a propaganda video later released by ISIL, shooting dead at least 11 prisoners who had been forced to lay down in a hole on the ground for execution.

Deputy state prosecutor Raija Toiviainen said the murder charges covered the twin's active role in the massacre as a whole, for capturing and transporting the victims, all the while knowing it would result in their execution.

The twins have also been charged with committing a war crime for allegedly killing unarmed cadets, as well as for "aggravated assault with terrorist aims".