A Russian court has decided not to ban reporters from the trial of three men accused in the killing of journalist Anna Politkovskaya — paving the way for an open trial where details of the much-criticized investigation will be made public.
Politkovskaya, who was slain in her Moscow apartment building in 2006, reported on human rights abuses in Chechnya, embarrassing the Kremlin. Her killing sparked international outrage, and Western governments demanded an independent investigation.ADSFA
Her son, Ilya, said he was pleased the trial would be open.
“Of course we are happy. We are even very surprised,” he said on Monday.
In court, lawyers for Politkovskaya’s family were scathing in their criticism of the official investigation, which they said was sabotaged to allow the suspected triggerman and the as-yet-unidentified mastermind to escape justice.
“Our aim is for the investigation to identify the mastermind, the financier and all the other accomplices in the murder,” Karinna Moskalenko, who is representing Ilya and his sister, Vera, said after Monday’s preliminary hearing. “Until then, we do not consider the investigation over.”
The man accused of shooting Politkovskaya, Rustam Makhmudov, has fled the country, prosecutors say.
The suspects being tried on murder charges are Sergei Khadzhikurbanov — a former Moscow police officer — and Makhmudov’s brothers Ibragim and Dzhabrail. They are accused of providing logistical support for the murder. All three insisted to reporters on Monday that they were not guilty.
“We have no idea what exactly happened,” Dzhabrail Makhmudov said from the cage when asked how they wound up in custody. “But we are hoping for a fair trial.”
The defense expressed surprise at Judge Yevgeny Zubov’s decision to allow the open trial that it and Politkovksaya’s family had requested. The case is being heard in a military court because the fourth defendant, Pavel Ryaguzov, is a Federal Security Service officer. He is accused of criminal links with Khadzhikurbanov, but he has not been charged in Politkovskaya’s killing.
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