Azerbaijan, Baku, July 8 / Trend K. Zarbaliyeva /
A preparatory meeting on the appeal and protest of gang members was held today.
The group was led by a person who ordered the killing of businessmen in Azerbaijan.
The trial on appeal will be held on July 12.
The defendants asked to soften the sentence, but the prosecutor asked to tighten it.
According to the verdict of the Heinous Crimes Court, Shohrat Guliyev, Mehman Gahramanov and Anar Hasanov were sentenced to life imprisonment, Ilham Shabanov - 15 years, Sakhavat Khudiyev - to 13.5 years, Khazar Kerimov, Maharet Ismailov and Rabbit Abdinov - to two years of imprisonment.
The criminal cases on other gang members - Elim Shakhmuradov, Bilal Verdiyev, Nuru Atayev and Ilahib Aleskerov were ceased as they served their sentences.
The gang members were convicted of murdering businessmen Ahmad Ibrahimov and Kamal Alekperov in Baku and Ganja in 2003-2004.