the "legalist" approach of demanding that existing laws and guaranteed rights be observed by the state was taken up by subsequent dissident figures. so-called defenders of rights ("pravozashchitniki" or "zakonniki") avoided moral and political commentary in favor of close attention to legal and procedural issues. it became a common cause for diverse social groups in the dissident millieu, ranging from academics to activists in the youth subculture. underground coverage of arrests and trials became more common and led to the founding of the "chronicle of current events" in april 1968. the unofficial newsletter reported violations of civil rights and judicial procedure by the soviet government and responses to those violations by citizens across the ussr.