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A Skopje Court convicted seven North American citizens of six to nine years in prison for participating in the Syria War at ISIS side.
Elmedin Osmani, Ahmed Xhengis, Orhan Zhupani, Bujamin Feta, Ibrahim Shabani and Almir Mirtovski were sentenced to six years, while Safet Ramadani with nine years in prison. The latter was a member of the Islamic State.They have pleaded guilty and while promising they would not commit new criminal offenses.
The laws of northern Macedonia provide for sentences of between 4 and 15 years for its nationals participating in foreign wars.
Meanwhile, the lawyers of the convicted warned they would appeal the case to higher court instances.
They waited for the judges to make more lenient measures because of the guilty plea by the accused and because they stayed in prisons in Syria.
The people in question were arrested in Syria and handed over to Macedonian authorities last August.
Authorities in Skopje have not provided accurate figures for the number of citizens engaged in the Islamic State, the number of returnees or those killed in the conflict.