Six Azeri nationals convicted of fighting for Syrian Al-Qaeda

The Grave Crimes Court in the Azerbaijani capital sentenced the convicts to between 13 years and 14 years in prison.

The convicts – Sanan Baxisov, Ruslan Cafarov, Eldost Quliyev, Mammadsah Mammadaliyev, Ahmad Hasanov and Maarif Mardanov – refused to testify as they said they didn’t recognize the authority of the secular court.

They had been arrested by Azerbaijan’s security services upon return home from Syria.

Azerbaijan has arrested dozens of radical Islamists who participated in the Syrian civil war. All of them are members of the small Salafi community.

Hundreds are still believed to be fighting in Syria, most of them alongside the Islamic State terrorist group.

The Caspian Sea nation last year toughened laws to prevent Azeris from joining military conflicts outside of the country.