Imam in Georgia convicted for recruiting people into IS

Four residents of the Pankisi Gorge in Georgia, including Imam Ayuf Borchashvili, have been sentenced to terms from one to 14 years in prison for recruiting militants and belonging to the terrorist "Islamic State" (IS).

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that Ayuf Borchashvili, Imam of the village of Dzhokolo, and three citizens of Georgia – Georgi Khutunishvili, Georgi Kuprava and David Pirisebiya – were detained in June 2015 on suspicion of recruiting residents of the Pankisi Gorge into IS (considered a terrorist organization and banned in Russia).

The Tbilisi City Court found Borchashvili guilty under the articles of "recruiting members of a terrorist organization" and "unification into a foreign terrorist organization or a terrorist organization controlled by a foreign state, or assist it in its terrorist activities", the "News-Georgia" quotes the advocate Gela Nikolaishvili.

Georgi Khutunishvili has been sentenced to 11 years in prison; and David Pirisebiya – to 10 years for joining a foreign terrorist organization. Georgi Kuprava pled guilty, after which he entered into a plea agreement; he will spend one year in prison for joining a terrorist organization, the "Sputnik-Georgia" reports.

According to Ayuf Borchashvili, the young men, who moved to Syria from Pankisi Gorge, "had knowingly and voluntarily joined the IS army," the "Interfax" reports.

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