5 Oct 2017 16:00

Azerbaijani court gives ISIL militants lengthy prison sentences

BAKU. Oct 5 (Interfax) - The Baku Court for Grave Crimes has given lengthy prison sentences to citizens of Azerbaijan who fought on the side of the Islamic State (ISIL, banned in Russia) terrorist organization, the court told Interfax.

"Rashadat Gasymov and Afiq Gakhramanov, who fought on Syrian territory on the side of illegal armed groups, received 11 and 10 years in jail, respectively," the court said.

The court found them guilty of "creating armed units or groups not envisaged by Azerbaijani legislation, and also participation in their creation and activities outside of Azerbaijan" and "actions aimed at fanning ethnic, racial, social or religious feud and enmity, belittling ethnic dignity, and actions aimed at limiting the rights of citizens of the Azerbaijani Criminal Code."

In accordance with the materials of the criminal case, Gasymov and Gakhramanov fought abroad on the side of ISIL. They were detained as a result of anti-terrorist measures taken by the Azerbaijani State Security Service.