Public and media barred from murder trial
The decision was a blow for relatives and groups who hoped that public scrutiny would yield new information about the killing.
Politkovskaya embarrassed the Kremlin and then-President Vladimir Putin with her reporting on human rights abuses in Chechnya. Her execution-style murder in her Moscow apartment building in 2006 sparked international outrage and renewed fears about the safety of journalists in Russia.
Both Vladimir Putin, who was president at the time of the murder, and prosecutor general Yuri Chaika described her killing as a plot to discredit Russia.
The Moscow District Military Court made the decision yesterday after jurors refused to enter the courtroom as they feared media coverage would bring them public attention, Politkovskaya family lawyer Karinna Moskalenko said.
The courtroom was filled with reporters, photographers and tv cameras.
RUSSIAN lawmakers have taken another step toward approving a bill that some say could mean Vladimir Putin’s return to the presidency.
Lawmakers yesterday approved the second reading of a bill extending the presidential term from four to six years. Only the Communists voted against it.
The final reading is set for tomorrow, after which the bill will go to the upper house.
The widely popular Putin, now prime minister, was barred constitutionally from seeking a third consecutive term as president in elections this year.
The United Russia party — the party of Putin and current president, Dmitry Medvedev — meets for its annual gathering today against a backdrop of fevered speculation that Putin may be preparing to make a comeback to the Kremlin to guide the country through a period of economic turmoil.
While officials deny any such plan, the congress gives a platform for Putin to reassert his status as Russia’s most popular politician.
