A Kazakh court has sentenced a man to seven years in prison for joining the Islamic State extremist group in Syria.
The court in the northern city of Petropavl on July 19 sentenced Marat Umirzakov for "joining IS in Syria in order to fight against government forces."
The court also found him guilty of "participating in the activities" of a terrorist group.
Prosecutors said Umirzakov, 47, travelled to Turkey and illegally crossed into Syria in 2012 where he joined the militants.
Umirzakov's lawyer Kuandyk Mukhamediyarov told RFERL's Kazakh Service that he will appeal the sentence.
Umirzakov rejected the sentence and said he will prove his innocence.
