MOSCOW, Feb. 18 (UPI) -- A lawyer for journalists working at liberal Russian radio station Ekho Moskvy said Tuesday no reason was given for the firing of its long-time director.
News director Yury Fedutinov was replaced Tuesday with veteran Yekaterina Pavlova, the former deputy chairwoman of state-owned Voice of Russia.
Alexander Berezin, a lawyer representing Ekho Moskvy journalists, told state-supported news agency RIA Novosti no reason was given for the dismissal.
"We, the shareholders, asked why Fedutinov was being removed," he said Tuesday. "But there was no explanation, and no reasons given."
Russian President Vladimir Putin in December signed a measure to eventually merge Voice of Russia and RIA Novosti into international news agency Russia Today.
RIA Novosti reported Tuesday new officials at Russian media outlets were "aggressively anti-Western."
Putin has been accused by human rights groups of silencing the voice of dissent in Russia.
Human Rights Watch said Monday authorities in Russia were interfering with civil protests across the country.
"Russian authorities should respect basic rights like free speech and right of assembly, but instead they are monitoring critics and quashing peaceful events before they even begin," Tanya Cooper, who monitors Russia for the rights group, said in a statement.
