A leading Russian human rights campaigner said today he could no longer work as a Kremlin adviser because he disagreed with President Vladimir Putin's views on murdered journalist Anna Politkovskaya.
Mr Putin said last week the murder of the reporter, a scathing critic of the Kremlin, was a "disgusting crime". He added the killing did more harm to Russia than her reporting ever had.
Ms Politkovskaya's supporters were angered by what they saw as Mr Putin's implication she was damaging Russia by writing about official corruption and abuses - especially in the Kremlin's campaign against insurgents in Chechnya.
Oleg Orlov, the head of independent human rights group Memorial, said he had written to the chair of the Presidential Council on Promoting Civil Society and Human Rights to hand in his notice.
"I wrote that I do not see any sense in remaining in the council," he said. "With regret I must note that my understanding of what is good for and what damages the Russian state . . . is fundamentally different from that of the president."
Ms Politkovskaya was shot dead on October 7th in a contract-style killing that investigators said was probably linked to her reporting.
Mr Putin created the presidential council in 2003. Critics said its aim was to insulate the Kremlin from allegations it was trampling on democratic freedoms. It has no formal powers and convenes infrequently; Mr Putin met the council only once.
Former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev said Ms Politkovsk's murder was a blow to democracy and press freedoms.