Russian legislators have proposed tough changes to the justice system, including preventing cases involving terrorism and spying coming before a jury.
Russia's lower chamber, the State Duma, will vote on the bill on Friday, just days after a separate pledge by President Dmitry Medvedev to improve public confidence in the rule of law.
Other changes include stiffer penalties for crimes including kidnapping and assisting those carrying out terrorist acts.
The bill is widely expected to be passed by the Duma, as it has been proposed by key figures from the ruling party.
The tougher rules governing the judiciary have not been welcomed by defence lawyers who say prosecutors should prepare their cases better and not rely on witness confessions.
Russia introduced jury trials after the collapse of the Soviet Union.
Many lawyers and rights groups say Russian judges are not truly independent from the government and often ignore evidence in court cases to rule in favour of the prosecution.
The trial of three men accused of roles in the killing of another journalist, Anna Politkovskaya, is being heard before a jury, although the prosecution was thwarted in an initial attempt to force out the media.
