Watchdog

Russia says it has opened a legal case against the vote-monitoring group Golos.

The Justice Ministry accused Golos and its executive director of being engaged in political activity in Russia and receiving foreign funding but failing to declare itself as a "foreign agent."

Golos denied that it received any foreign funding in the period under consideration.

The move comes after a recent wave of much-criticized state inspections of Russia's nongovernmental organizations.

Under a law passed last year, NGOs operating in Russia are required to officially register as “foreign agents” if they receive financing from abroad.

Failure to do so carries a potential fine of up to 500,000 rubles ($16,000) for the organization and 300,000 rubles (about $9,500) for its executive director.

Based on reporting by AFP and AP

The Paris-based organization Reporters Without Borders (RSF) is urging Russian officials to find the attackers who severely injured the late journalist Mikhail Beketov in 2007.

Beketov, 55, died in a hospital on April 8.

His lawyer said he choked to death on his food.

Beketov suffered brain damage and lost a leg and several fingers after a beating in 2008.

His attackers have never been identified.

Before the assault, Beketov reported he had discovered large-scale corruption surrounding the construction of the Moscow-St. Petersburg highway through the Khimki Forest.

In 2010, a Khimki court convicted Beketov of slander in a case brought by the town's mayor in 2007.

On April 8, RSF called Beketov "a symbol" of Russia's struggling civil society and said "it is more important than ever that his attackers be brought to justice."