Turkey sentences former Australian IS fighter to seven years in prison

Turkey on Friday sentenced a former Australian citizen to seven-and-a-half years in prison for being a member of the Islamic State group.

Neil Prakash, who traveled to Syria to join IS in 2013, was stripped of his Australian citizenship in December.

The self-avowed former IS fighter attended his court hearing in Kilis, southeastern Turkey, via video conferencing, Turkey's state news agency Anadolu reported.

Prakash affirmed before the court that he had been a member of the extremist group for some time, but had later "regretted it and left", echoing comments he made at a 2017 trial.

"I decided to escape after seeing the true face" of IS, he said according to Dogan news agency.

"I very much regret joining the organisation."

Prakash could be released after two-and-a-half years with time already served and good behaviour.

He will appeal the sentence, lawyer Resat Davran told Australia's ABC News.

"I was expecting that he would be sentenced for being a member of a terrorist group but I was also expecting his sentence to be reduced for his remorse," Davran said.

"Our appeal will ask for his sentence to be reduced due to his expressing remorse."

However, the appeals process could take more than two years, by which time Prakash may be due for release, the lawyer added.

The former Australian citizen is currently being held in the southeastern province of Gaziantep, after having been arrested in November 2016 at the Turkish border when he allegedly attempted to enter the country with false documents.

Prakash, who adopted the nom de guerre Abu Khaled al-Cambodi, in December became the 12th person to be stripped of Australian citizenship because of militant links.

The UK has also taken the step to revoke the citizenship of alleged IS members, most prominently with Shamima Begum.

Germany is also reportedly planning to strip some IS fighters of their citizenship.

Under international law, which prevents states from rendering individuals stateless, countries such as Australia and the UK cannot revoke someone's citizenship unless they are a dual citizen.

Australia claimed at the time that Prakash - born to a Cambodian mother and a Fijian father -  is also a citizen of Fiji, a claim both Prakash and the island nation have denied.

Turkish judges expressed confusion as to what would happen to Prakash after he had served his time in Turkey.

Australia in December demanded Turkey extradite Prakash, who faces allegations of inciting a terror plot in his home state of Victoria.

The former rapper from Melbourne was featured in IS propaganda videos, has been linked to several attack plans in Australia and has urged lone wolf attacks against the United States.

In a video released by the jihadist group in 2015, Prakash speaks about his journey to joining the militant group and calls on IS sympathisers in Australia to "start attacking before they [Australians] attack you".