A Qatari court has accused Russia of being behind the murder of a former Chechen leader there in February. The judge made the charge as he handed down life sentences to two Russian agents convicted of killing Zelimkhan Yanderbiyev in the capital Doha. He said the men had been acting on orders from the Russian leadership. | And they did a outstanding job, till they got caught. |
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has denied the men were involved in the killing, and said their lawyers would appeal against the decision. Defence lawyer Dimitri Afanasiev told Reuters news agency that the men would also seek a transfer to Russia. | That will most likely happen quietly after the press moves on to the next story. |
Qatari prosecutors had called for the death penalty during the closed-door trial, which began in April. A life sentence in Qatar usually means 25 years. The men were arrested shortly after Yanderbiyev was killed when a device placed under his car exploded as he left a Doha mosque after prayers. His son was injured in the attack. Russia insists the two men were in Qatar in order to gather anti-terrorism intelligence. | "We didn't do it, honest!" |
Correspondents in Moscow warned the trial threatened to cause a diplomatic breach between Qatar and Russia, particularly after allegations that the two agents were tortured to make their confessions. | Just trying to make them feel right at home. |
Qatar expelled the first secretary of the Russian embassy in March over alleged involvement in the killing. |