Long prison term sought or Azeri in Russian murder trial

A Russian prosecutor has asked a Moscow City Court to sentence an Azerbaijani suspect to 18 years in jail in the stabbing death of a Russian man.

Orkhan Zeynalov, accused of murdering Muscovite Yegor Shcherbakov last year, pleaded not guilty at his trial, which started on June 30.

Zeynalov was arrested several days after Shcherbakov was killed on October 10.

Shcherbakov's death sparked violent antimigrant riots in Moscow's southern Biryulyovo district.

Several migrant workers from Central Asia and the Caucasus were killed across Russia in the days following the incident.

After the riots, Russian President Vladimir Putin dismissed a number of senior Interior Ministry and police officers, including the Biryulyovo district police chief.

Azerbaijan has urged Russia to guarantee that Zeynalov's rights are not violated during the trial.

(RFE/RL)