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NTV Editor Quits After Being Told to 'Attack' Ex-Husband

Sofya Gudkova, an editor and producer at state-controlled NTV television, has resigned after being ordered to "attack" her former husband, Just Russia Deputy Dmitry Gudkov, the deputy said Thursday.

Gudkova was ordered to criticize Gudkov, an opposition heavyweight and father of their two children, on the "Itogovaya Programma," of which she was chief editor, Gudkov said.

"Sofya, I'm sorry that you had to leave television, a job that had been a part of your life for a long time," he said on his LiveJournal blog. "But you know that I can't abandon my convictions."

Gudkov also confirmed a Gazeta.ru report that NTV is planning a documentary about the personal lives of opposition leaders. The film will feature anti-corruption blogger Alexei Navalny, Just Russia Deputies Gudkov and Ilya Ponomaryov, Parnas leader Boris Nemtsov and socialite Ksenia Sobchak, among others, Gazeta.ru reported Thursday.

NTV caused controversy in March with the broadcast of a program that accused opposition leaders of paying people to attend anti-government rallies.

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