Judge reverses order in Politkovskaya case

First the judge said the trial would not be held in secret, now he has changed his mind. A court in Moscow has gone back on its order that a trial linked to the murder of prominant journalist Anna Politkovskaya should be open to the public. It is reported that members of the jury did not want to be identified.

The military court has opened a case against four men accused of complicity in the killing. The newspaper where Politkivskaya worked called for an open trial, saying that would be the only hope of achieving justice. The accused include a man who worked for the secret service, a police officer and two Chechen brothers.

Politkovskaya was shot dead outside her Moscow apartment in October 2006. She often wrote articles on human rights that embarrassed the Kremlin, but also angered political clans in Chechnya. Prosecutors say the man accused of pulling the trigger has fled the country, and they could not establish who actually ordered the killing.