Anna Politkovskaya was a journalist who made political enemies for her intrepid investigative reporting on corruption across Russia and on rights abuses in Chechnya. She also routinely condemned President Vladmir Putin head on for both his handling of the war in Chechnya, as well his growing draconian and authoritarian rule. On October 7, 2006, Politkovskaya was shot dead in the lobby of her Moscow apartment.
To this day, her murder remains shrouded in mystery as to who were involved directly with the assassination.
On Monday, the Russian court opened up a supposed second bit attempt to convict the suspected killers during a pre-trial hearing, Reuters reported.
Rustam Makhmudov, the suspected killer, two of his brothers and two other defendants, including his uncle, all face murder charges for the second time. Politkovskaya's children, Vera and Ilya, who were present at the hearing, said they question who ordered the murder was unlikely to emerge from the case.
"The case will be solved in full when the person who ordered it is found, when his name is established, when he is charged and his guilt is established by court," Anna Stavitskaya, a lawyer representing her family said. "There is no chance the name... will be voiced in this trial."
In 2009, prosecutors acquitted three of the five defendants, but the Supreme Court threw out the decision and sent the case back to the prosecution, Reuters also reported.
Politkovskaya's murder underscored the growing stifling of dissent that has characterized Vladimir Putin's presidency. Russia has proven to be one of the most dangerous places in the world for journalists. Many have been mysteriously killed, with fears that the government has shown increasing disdain for critical voices.
The pre-trial hearing was adjourned until Tuesday, after defense lawyers said they had found faults in the prosecutors' case. They also said they wanted a trial to be held before a jury, something Politkovskaya's family has long advocated.
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