The fifth anniversary of the assassination of Russian investigative journalist and Kremlin critic Anna Politkovskaya is being marked.
Politkovskaya, who was 48 and wrote for the "Novaya Gazeta" newspaper, was gunned down in her Moscow apartment building on October 7, 2006.
Her death coincided with the birthday of then-president and current Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, who after Politkovska was killed dismissed her work as having been "insignificant" in Russia.
Five years after the death of Politkovskaya -- who was known for her criticism of Russian corruption, the war in Chechnya and of Putin -- authorities have not secured any convictions in the case.
Authorities recently charged a former senior police officer, Dmitry Pavlyuchenkov, with helping to organize the murder, but it remains unclear who ordered the killing.
In a statement issued to mark the anniversary of Politkovskaya's death, the human rights group Amnesty International says "little progress" has been made in the past five years to "increase the safety of journalists or human rights defenders who dare to expose abuses or challenge authority in Russia."
The statement says that unless such critical voices receive the recognition and protection they need, "corruption, the abuse of power and human rights violations will continue to flourish" in Russia.
The press freedom group Committee To Protect Journalists says at least 19 journalists have been murdered in Russia in suspected retaliation for their work since 2000.
compiled from agency reports