A Moscow court rejected a plea by the family of slain Russian journalist Anna Politkovskaya for a new investigation into her death, leading critics again to accuse authorities of not being interested in hunting the perpetrators.

Three men are being retried for allegedly playing minor roles in Politkovskaya's 2006 slaying after the Supreme Court overturned their acquittal in June.

Politkovskaya's family had hoped the retrial, which started Wednesday, would spur a new inquiry to discover the masterminds of the killing. Prosecutors had backed the family's request for a new investigation.

But Friday's ruling dashed those hopes, and underpinned suspicion of official obstruction in the high-profile case.

Politkovskaya's daughter, Vera, said Friday's decision lessened the family's faith in the fairness of the proceedings.