« Previous | Main | Next »

Politkovskaya's trial no longer open to the public

November 19, 2008 8:00 AM

By CLARISSA WARD, Correspondent, ABC News Moscow

At the beginning of this week, the family of slain journalist Anna Politkovskaya had some cause for optimism. Three men were to be tried for involvement in Politkovskaya’s murder although the man accused of pulling the trigger has never been caught. And, in a surprise move, the judge at the military court ruled that it would be an open trial. Details of the much-criticized police investigation would finally be made public, in itself something to celebrate.

Politkovskaya was one of more than a dozen journalists murdered in a contract-style killing since 2000. Few of the murders have been solved and even fewer have received the thorough and transparent investigation one might expect in a murder case. So it was with some excitement that I lined up outside a Moscow courthouse with dozens of other journalists to witness this historic event.

Before any members of the press were allowed into the courtroom, we were taken into a small side room where a young man explained the rules. No talking to the jury, no mobile phones and only 10 journalists would be allowed inside -- protests of indignation rippled across the room at this last piece of news. Also, we were told, be very careful about what you write, give information and not analysis or you won’t be allowed in again. As the young man finished speaking, there was a mad dash for him, with everyone pleading their case as to why they should be one of the 10 allowed into the courtroom.

By some miracle, I was one of two foreign journalists allowed into the courtroom. The room was tiny, literally 15 feet by 5 feet and I was pressed into a corner underneath a coat rack with four guards squashed against me. Some journalists were on the floor, others sat on the same bench as Politkovskaya’s family and lawyers. The jury dock was empty. Clearly, there were several things wrong with this picture.

The judge arrived, nearly knocking me and the four security guards onto the ground, and took his seat. He announced that the trial would now be closed to the public because the jury refused to enter the courtroom with the media there. Karinna Moskalenko, the Politkovskaya family’s lawyer, implored the judge to reconsider his decision, arguing that Politkovskaya was a public figure and that the public should know the circumstances of her killing. The defense lawyers also pressed for the trial to be open. Suddenly, there was the “beep beep” sound of a text message, and I was surprised to see the judge pull out his mobile phone and read the message before putting the phone back. He then restated that the decision had been taken and that the trial would be closed. Within half an hour we were back outside on the cold Moscow streets, trying to get our heads around what had just happened.

It remains to be seen what the reaction of most Russians will be to the reversal of the decision to make Politkovskaya’s case public. While some will certainly feel disappointment, most will likely feel resignation and perhaps even skepticism that it could ever be possible for such a controversial and political case to be tried before the eyes of the public.

Read more blogs by Clarissa Ward

November 19, 2008 in Clarissa Ward | Permalink | User Comments (1)

User Comments

Posted by: samhiguchi | Nov 19, 2008 9:12:50 AM

Post a comment

Name:

Email Address:

URL:

Remember personal info?

Comments: