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Dubai Court Slashes Sentences in Chechen Slaying | ASHARQ AL-AWSAT English Archive 2005 -2017
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DUBAI, United Arab Emirates, (AP) – A Dubai appeals court has dropped life sentences for two men convicted in the slaying of a former Chechen warlord last year and reduced their jail time to just three years.

The inmates — from Iran and Tajikistan — have already served about 21 months, which will count toward their new sentences. This means they could be free in early 2012.

The court gave no immediate reason for its decision Wednesday. The inmates have been identified in media reports as Mahdi Tagi Dhurnia of Iran and Tajik national Mahsoudjan Asmanov.

They were convicted in April of helping plan the March 2009 slaying of former Chechen strongman Sulim Yamadayev, who was living in Dubai under an alias.

Other suspects apparently fled Dubai.