A judge has barred Ukrainian opposition leader Yulia Tymoshenko and her defense team from attending her trial over what the judge said was her "disrespectful" attitude toward the court.
The decision came after a heated courtroom exchange with the former prime minister, who has been refusing to stand up in the judge's presence since her trial for abuse of power began in June.
Tymoshenko will be allowed to attend the next hearing, but television crews have been barred from broadcasting witness testimony in the trial.
The trial has opened on June 24 and Tymoshenko has frequently accused the judge of being in the pay of President Viktor Yanukovych, her former rival for Ukraine's presidency.
Tymoshenko is accused of abuse of power over a contract she signed with Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin after a brief interruption of gas deliveries from Russia in early 2009.
compiled from agency reports