Court Partially Satisfies Suit of “Alliance-media” to “Narodnaya Volia”

On 18 December Minsk Leninski Borough Court obliged the editorial staff of “Narodnaya Volia” to compensate the court expenditures to the open joint-stock society “Alliance-media” and publish disproof of the article that was mentioned in the suit. At the same time, Judge Valiantsina Ziankevich didn’t satisfy the demand to exact from “Narodnaya Volia” 50 million rubles as compensation for the moral harm to “Alliance-media”.

The consideration of the suit of “Alliance-media” (founder of the “Obozrevatel” newspaper) to the newspaper “Narodnaya Volia” on protection of honor, dignity, business reputation and compensation of the moral harm started on 16 February. The reason for the conflict was the article “Sergey Atroshchenko’s “Obozrevatel”: Bandit Treatment of Leonid Levin”, published on 3 September 2003. The author of the article analysed the conflict between the editorial board of “Obozrevatel” and the head of the Union of Jewish organizations and communities Leanid Levin that resulted from the article by “Obozrevatel” “Are deputies Kostyan, Novosyad and Frolov Personal Anti-Semites?”. Mr. Levin was of the opinion that the author of the latter article corrupted the sence of his interview and shared this opinion with “Narodnaya Volia”. The founders of “Alliance-media”, in their turn, decided that the newspaper “used the miscomprehension between them and Mr. Levin as a means of dishonest struggle for the readers’ attention”.

One of the representatives of “Narodnaya Volia” at trial, vice-head of the PA “Belarusian Association of Journalists” A. Bastunets thinks that the court didn’t give the appropriate evaluation to the actions of the editorial staff of “Obozrevatel” towards L. Levin and groundlessly considered the journalist’s opinion as “false information”. “The court decision gives reasons to be complained against. However, it’s complete evaluation can be made only when we receive its motivation part”, -- says the lawyer. According to him, it’s worth complaining against this verdict to Minsk City Court.

On 25 February Minsk Leninski Borough Court will consider the suit of the chief editor of “Obozrevatel” Siarhey Atroshchanka to “Narodnaya Volia”. Mr. Atroshchanka thinks that by the article “What Business Feels Well in Belarus?”, published on 26 November 2003, the newspaper insulted his honor, dignity and business reputation and demands to exact from the newspaper 50 million rubles.

Press-service of the PA “Belarusian Association of Journalists”