Three Russians on mission to Qatar were detained by the host country's secret services in the small hours of February 19. They were indicted with premeditated murder of Zelimkhan Yandarbiev, Chechen separatist emissary, who died in a car blast of February 13.
One of the detainees, First Secretary of the Russian Embassy to Qatar, was released on diplomatic immunity grounds, and came back to Russia, March.
The two others were put to the dock and met a life imprisonment sentence, June 30. Their lawyers appealed against the sentence. The Court of Appeal had a maiden session on the case in Doha, July 21, to put off its verdict to July 29.
Igor Ivanov, Russia's Security Council Secretary, visited Qatar, July 23-a second occasion on which he went there after his compatriots' arrest. Mr. Ivanov met with His Highness Tamim bin Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani the Crown Prince of Qatar on the later visit.
The court dismissed the appeal in the session of July 29.
Russia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs repeatedly insisted on the convicts' innocence and demanded their return to the home country.
