A Qatari court rejected an appeal by two Russian intelligence agents against life sentences handed down for the killing of a Chechen rebel leader in Doha earlier this year.
Presiding Judge Abdullah al-Saadi told the court that the appeal was rejected in content and the earlier verdict upheld, which sentenced Anatoly Bilashkov and Vassily Pokchov to jail for life for the February 13 killing of Zelimkhan Yandarbiyev, a former Chechen president who lived in exile in Doha.
The decision is final, although defence lawyer Mohsen Dhiab al-Suwaidi said he would use all legal channels to challenge the ruling.
Last month, Judge Ibrahim Saleh al-Nisf said the court had been lenient in not sentencing the pair to death, as the prosecution had sought, and accused the "Russian leadership" of ordering the killing.
Moscow, for its part, has insisted the two are innocent. (Albawaba.com)
© 2004 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
