Chechen court upholds verdict to combatant in Syria

Aslan Bashaev, 23, a resident of Chechnya, who was sentenced to five years in colony on charges of taking part in the warfare in Syria, has lodged an appeal compliant against a too harsh, in his opinion, verdict of the first-instance court.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on May 27 the court of Urus-Martan found Bashaev guilty of involvement in the war in Syria.

The Supreme Court of Chechnya has considered the Bashaev's appeal, said a source from the Ministry of Justice of Chechnya. "The convict's complaint was dismissed; and the verdict of the Urus-Martan court was upheld," he said.

Relatives of Bashaev also believe that the court ruled too harshly. "Guys who were at war in Syria have been tried earlier here: as far as I know, one was sentenced to three years in prison; the other – to two years," said one of Bashaev's relatives.

According to his story, the decision to appeal to the Russia's Supreme Court is still pending.

Full text of the article is available on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’.