MOSCOW, December 11 - RAPSI. Children of murdered Novaya Gazeta journalist Anna Politkovskaya plan to file a request with the Moscow City Court not to approve the plea bargain of former police officer Dmitry Pavlyuchenkov, accused of Politkovskaya's assassination, Anna Stavitskaya, a representative of the aggrieved party, told RAPSI on Tuesday.

The case against Pavlyuchekov has been granted special circumstance status in view of his plea bargain.

The special procedure ensures a trial without reviewing the evidence or holding witness testimonies. Furthermore, the court cannot sentence the defendant to the maximum punishment.

Previously, Politkovskaya's children submitted a similar motion to the inquest, but it was dismissed.

Politkovskaya's children hold that Pavlyuchenkov has not fulfilled the obligations that he assumed under the plea bargain, and should stand trial with the other defendants. In their application to the committee, they insisted on an open trial attended by the public and the media.

They stated that they do not doubt Pavlyuchenkov's testimony about his alleged accomplice's role in the murder, as there is other evidence to support his allegations. However, they believe that he is trying to play down his own role to escape severe punishment.

Politkovskaya, who was known for her investigative journalism on human rights in Chechnya, was killed in the elevator of her apartment building on October 7, 2006 in Moscow.

Investigators believe her murder was related to her work.

Six people are suspected of having been involved in her murder - former police officers Dmitry Pavlyuchenkov and Sergei Kadzhikurbanov, Chechen-born Lom-Ali Gaitukayev, and the Makhmudov brothers, one of whom is alleged to have been the killer.

Investigators believe Gaitukayev was the organizer of the crime.

The Moscow City Court will start considering the case on December 12.