Numerous high-profile criminal trials have been closed off from public scrutiny in recent years, and lawyers for the defendants and Politkovskaya's family both said they were pleased with the ruling at Monday's preliminary hearing.
But Judge Yevgeny Zubov said he would close the trial should any juror complain of outside pressure, said Murad Musayev, a defense lawyer for two of the suspects, Chechen brothers Dzhabrail and Ibragim Makhmudov.
"I am really pleased by the judge's decision," Musayev said. "But I am very much afraid that just as the trial begins, some of the jury members will complain, and the judge will close the trial to the media."
The Makhmudov brothers and a former officer with the Moscow police's anti-organized crime department, Sergei Khadzhikurbanov, are accused of participating in the shooting death of the Novaya Gazeta reporter in October 2006.
All three defendants denied their guilt in court Monday, news agencies reported.
Another Makhmudov brother, Rustam, who has not been apprehended, is suspected of shooting Politkovskaya dead in the elevator of her apartment building in central Moscow on Oct. 7, 2006. An international warrant is out for the arrest of Rustam Makhmudov.
Investigators have failed to establish who was the mastermind behind the murder, although officials have suggested that it was organized by an enemy of the Kremlin living outside of Russia.
Both Musayev and Anna Stavitskaya, a lawyer for Politkovskaya's son and daughter, said media attention to the case had prompted the judge to open the trial.
Both lawyers said Zubov bluntly stated at preliminary hearings last month that the trial would be closed.
Jury selection, which will take place behind closed doors, is scheduled for Tuesday, and the trial could begin as early as Wednesday, Stavitskaya said.
A fourth suspect, Federal Security Service officer Pavel Ryaguzov, is being tried on corruption charges together with Khadzhikurbanov, though he has not been implicated in Politkovskaya's killing.
Another lawyer for Politkovskaya's family, Karina Moskalenko, criticized the investigation Monday as incomplete, saying the Investigative Committee had failed to establish not only who ordered the murder but also who organized it.
Moskalenko demanded Monday that Chechen President Ramzan Kadyrov appear in court for questioning because his name figures prominently in case materials, Stavitskaya said.
In her writings, Politkovskaya harshly criticized Kadyrov and Kremlin policies in Chechnya.
Her family on Monday filed a lawsuit in conjunction with the trial seeking 10 million rubles ($370,000) in compensation from the defendants, Interfax reported.
A Message from The Moscow Times:
Dear readers,
We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."
These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.
We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.
Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.
By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.
Remind me later.