BAKU, Azerbaijan -- A Baku court sentenced five journalists to prison Thursday for publishing cartoons and jokes that "insulted the honor" of President Heidar Aliyev. The terms ranged from two to five years.


The men, who put out a home-printed satirical newspaper called Cheshma, or "Spring," have been in custody since their arrests in February.


They were members of the opposition parties Musavat, or the Popular Front. The Popular Front held power before Aliyev -- the country's former Communist boss -- became president in 1993.


The case has been condemned by international journalists' and human rights groups. One of the defendants, Ayaz Akhmedov, told the city court the case was part of a "crackdown on the opposition before the new parliamentary elections."


Legislative elections in the former Soviet republic are scheduled for Nov. 12. Opposition movements accuse Aliyev of an intimidation campaign, although the Popular Front has been allowed to run candidates.


Akhmedov was sentenced to five years; Yadigar Mamedli to three years; and Malik Bairamov, Asker Akhmed and Mirzagusein Zeinalov to two each.


One issue of Cheshma, published shortly after Aliyev's pilgrimage to the Islamic holy city of Mecca last year, recounted the fable of a fox who went to Mecca to pray for all the chickens he had killed, and who continued to kill chickens afterward.


Another issue featured a cartoon showing Aliyev surrounded by kowtowing aides and other political figures.


"This is a political case, and the government did this in an attempt to intimidate other journalists," defense attorney Osman Kyazimov said after the verdict.


He said the trial, which began Oct. 4, moved quickly and that the judges dismissed all his protests.


The journalists were often brought to the courtroom in handcuffs, chained together in pairs.