U-turn in Politkovskaya case condemned

Supporters of murdered Russian journalist Anna Politkovskaya have condemned a decision to throw a blanket of secrecy over a trial linked to the killing. A Moscow judge has reversed a ruling he made on Monday, which would have made the trial of four men accused of complicity open to the public.

Jury members reportedly refused to enter the court in the presence of the media, scared of being publicly identified. The newspaper where Politkovskaya worked said an open trial was the only hope of achieving justice. The accused include a secret service agent, a police officer and two Chechen brothers.

Politkovskaya, who wrote about human rights abuses in Chechnya, was shot dead outside her home in 2006. Police say the man accused of pulling the trigger has fled the country and they could not establish who actually ordered the killing.

Copyright © 2009 euronews

tags: Anna Politkovskaya, Journalist, Russia