A Russian court has been told that the murder of Anna Politkovskaya was ordered by a Russian politician.
The judge in the case, Yevgeny Zubov, decided this morning to reopen the trial to the public just days after declaring it closed.
Murad Musayev, who is defending one of the four men charged in connection with the killing, said that in the case files, 'the motive and the individual who ordered the killing are mentioned.'
He said the reason for the killing was Ms Politkovskaya's critical reports which exposed certain political figures.
Anna Politkovskaya, who was deeply critical of the Kremlin's actions in Chechnya, was shot dead outside her Moscow home on 7 October 2006 in an apparent contract killing.
More than two years after her death, the authorities have failed to arrest the gunman or identify who ordered the murder.
Human rights activists have said an open trial is crucial for the murder to be judged fairly.
One of the suspects on trial is a former agent of the FSB security service, the successor to the Soviet-era KGB.
Pavel Ryaguzov is suspected of providing Ms Politkovskaya's home address to the killer.
Two of the other defendants, Dzhabrail and Ibragim Makhmudov, are Chechen brothers accused of following her in her last weeks.
All the defendants have entered not guilty pleas.
