Zelimkhan Yandarbiyev facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Zelimkhan Yandarbiyev
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Яндарбин Зелимхан
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Yandarbiyev in 2000
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| 2nd President of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria | |
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Acting
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| In office 21 April 1996 – 12 February 1997 |
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| Vice President | Said-Khasanom Abumuslimov |
| Preceded by | Dzhokhar Dudayev |
| Succeeded by | Aslan Maskhadov |
| Prime Minister of Ichkeria | |
| In office 21 April 1996 – 16 October 1996 |
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| Preceded by | Dzhokhar Dudayev |
| Succeeded by | Aslan Maskhadov |
| Vice President of Ichkeria | |
| In office 17 April 1993 – 21 April 1996 |
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| President | Dzokhar Dudayev |
| Succeeded by | Said-Khasanom Abumuslimov |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 12 September 1952 Vydrika, Kazakh SSR, Soviet Union (now Kazakhstan) |
| Died | 13 February 2004 (aged 51) |
| Cause of death | Assassination |
| Political party | VDP, NCChP |
| Spouse | Malika Yandarbiyeva |
| Profession | Writer |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  Chechen Republic of Ichkeria |
| Battles/wars | First Chechen War Second Chechen War |
Zelimkhan Abdulmuslimovich Yandarbiyev (Chechen: Яндарбин Абдулмуслиман-кIант Зелимхан, romanized: Yandarbin Abdulmusliman-khant Zelimxan; Russian: Зелимхан Абдулмуслимович Яндарбиев, also spelled Yandarbiev; 12 September 1952 – 13 February 2004) was a writer and politician from Chechnya. He served as the acting president of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria, a region that sought independence, from 1996 to 1997. In 2004, Yandarbiyev was killed while living in Qatar.
Zelimkhan Yandarbiyev's Life
Yandarbiyev started his career as a writer. He was a literary scholar, a poet, and wrote books for children. He studied at the Maxim Gorky Literature Institute in Moscow. He also helped start a secret literature club, which was later shut down by the Soviet authorities.
Years later, as the Soviet Union began to break apart, Yandarbiyev became an important leader in the Chechen movement for their own country. In July 1989, he created the Bart (Unity) Party. This party wanted to bring together different groups in the Caucasus region. In May 1990, he founded and led the Vainakh Democratic Party (VDP). This was the first political party in Chechnya. It aimed for an independent Chechnya.
In November 1990, he became the deputy chairman of the All-National Congress of the Chechen People (NCChP). This group was led by Dzhokhar Dudayev. They took over from the old Soviet leaders. Yandarbiyev also signed an agreement with leaders from Ingush. This agreement divided the joint Chechen-Ingush republic into two separate areas. From 1991 to 1993, he led the media committee in the first Chechen parliament. In April 1993, Dudayev appointed him as the Vice President of Ichkeria.
In April 1996, after Dzhokhar Dudayev was killed, Yandarbiyev became the Acting President of Ichkeria. In May 1996, he led a Chechen group to meet with President of Russia Boris Yeltsin and Prime Minister of Russia Viktor Chernomyrdin. They held peace talks at the Kremlin. These talks led to a ceasefire agreement on May 27, 1996.
In 1997, Yandarbiyev was part of signing the Russian-Chechen Peace Treaty in Moscow. He ran in the presidential election in Chechnya in February 1997. However, he lost to General Aslan Maskhadov, a top Chechen military leader. Yandarbiyev came in third place. He later signed a "lasting" peace treaty in Moscow with Maskhadov.
The two Chechen leaders had disagreements the next year. Yandarbiyev was accused of being involved in an attempt to harm Maskhadov. In September 1998, Maskhadov spoke out against Yandarbiyev. He accused him of causing problems for the government. Yandarbiyev then joined a group that was against Maskhadov's rule.
In 1999, Yandarbiyev traveled outside Chechnya. He went to Afghanistan, Pakistan, and the United Arab Emirates. He eventually settled in Qatar in 1999. There, he tried to get support from Muslim countries for the Chechen cause.
After being accused of involvement in a hostage crisis in Moscow in October 2002, Yandarbiyev was put on Interpol's most wanted list. Russia asked for him to be sent back in February 2003. They said he was a major international figure supporting Chechen resistance. In June 2003, his name was added to a United Nations Security Council list of suspects related to certain groups.
Yandarbiyev was important in getting money from groups in the Arab states of the Persian Gulf. This money was used to support a Chechen group. In January 2004, he was interviewed in Qatar for a documentary. The filmmakers called him a "spiritual leader" and a "poet."
Zelimkhan Yandarbiyev's Death
On February 13, 2004, Zelimkhan Yandarbiyev was killed in Doha, the capital of Qatar. A bomb exploded in his SUV. He was badly hurt and died on the way to the hospital. His 13-year-old son, Daud, was seriously injured but survived. Some reports also said two of his bodyguards died, but this was not confirmed.
At first, it was not clear who was responsible. But people immediately suspected Russian intelligence agencies. Both the SVR and GRU denied being involved. They suggested it was due to fights among Chechen rebel leaders. Aslan Maskhadov's foreign ministry said it was a "Russian terrorist attack." They compared it to the attack that killed Dzhokhar Dudayev in 1996. This car bomb incident later led to Qatar's first law against terrorism.
The day after the attack, authorities in Qatar arrested three Russians. They were found in a Russian embassy building. One of them, Aleksandr Fetisov, was released in March because he had diplomatic protection. The other two, GRU agents Anatoly Yablochkov and Vasily Pugachyov, were charged with killing Yandarbiyev. They were also charged with trying to kill his son Daud and bringing weapons into Qatar. Russia said that Yablochkov and Pugachyov were secret agents. They were sent to the Russian Embassy in Doha to gather information about global terrorism. Russia's acting Defence Minister Sergei Ivanov promised to support the suspects. He said their arrest was against the law.
The trial was not open to the public. The two Russians claimed they were mistreated after their arrest. Russia demanded their release. They said the officers were arrested in a place that belonged to the Russian Embassy.
The Qatari prosecutors believed that the suspects were ordered to kill Zelimkhan Yandarbiyev by the then-Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov himself.
On June 30, 2004, both Russians were sentenced to life imprisonment. The judge said they had acted on orders from the Russian leadership.
This court decision caused problems between Qatar and Russia. On December 23, 2004, Qatar agreed to send the prisoners back to Russia. They were supposed to serve their life sentences there. However, the agents were welcomed as heroes when they returned to Moscow. They were not seen in public much after that.
Russian prison authorities said in February 2005 that the agents were not in jail. They also said that the sentence given in Qatar was "not important" in Russia.
Zelimkhan Yandarbiyev's Books
Zelimkhan Yandarbiyev wrote many books. These included collections of poetry and stories for children.
