Three Russian citizens who went to Qatar on a business trip were arrested in Doha in the early hours of February 19 by Qatari special services, as suspected of involvement in the murder of Zelimkhan Yandarbiyev, a leader of Chechen separatists. One of the detainees, first secretary of the Russian embassy in Qatar, Alexander Fetisov had diplomatic immunity, and was released and returned to Russia on March 24.
On February 26, the two Russians were accused of premeditated murder.
On April 11, at a preliminary court session the Russians denied the charges and pleaded not guilty. The defence demanded all the materials of the case for careful study, uninterrupted access for all the lawyers to the detainees and the postponement of the hearings for the defence's better preparation.
The Russian foreign ministry has repeatedly stated the Russians' non-involvement in the attempt on Yandarbiyev's life, and insisted on their release and return home.
According to the Russian foreign ministry's statement, the Russian citizens "stayed in Qatar legitimately and fulfilled information and analytical anti-terrorist tasks with no violation of the local legislation." Zelimkhan Yandarbiyev who spent in Qatar the last three years of his life died in an explosion of a mined Toyota Landcruiser on February 13.
