MOSCOW, January 14 (RIA Novosti) – Russia’s top court formed a new jury on Tuesday for the trial into the 2006 murder of investigative journalist Anna Politkovskaya, the RAPSI news agency reported.
Politkovskaya, a crusading reporter with the independent Novaya Gazeta newspaper, was shot dead at the age of 48 in the elevator of her central Moscow apartment building. The murder has been linked to her coverage of human rights abuses in Chechnya.
Five men were charged with the murder and acquitted in 2009. The Supreme Court overturned the verdict and ordered a retrial.
The ongoing proceedings have been marred by accusations of underhand shenanigans and investigations into corruption.
The previous jury was disbanded on November 13, 2013, throwing the already drawn-out proceedings into disarray.
A juror was removed by the court last fall after it emerged that he had a previous conviction for murder. Three more members of the jury subsequently withdrew for various reasons, leaving the panel with less than the 12 people required by law.
