Non-state newspaper ‘Borisovskie Novosti’ is accused of defamation

On 10 January Barysau district court started trying the lawsuit of the editor of the newspaper of Barysau district executive committee Adzinstva V.Pratasevich against the journalist of the newspaper Borisovskiye Novosti V.Nitski and the publishing house Bukas Media Center.

In spring Borisovskie Novosti published the article by Valer Navitski Barysau Code of Honor. The journalist wrote how the head of the ideological department of Barysau district executive committee L.Harnak and the Adzinstva editor paid joint visits to the places where Borisovskie Novosti was sold. The officials ordered the vendors to remove the newspaper from the newsstands till its inclusion in the list of the goods they were permitted to sell.

The author of the article stated that such actions reminded him of the mob and the inquisition. V.Pratasevich stated that this information was false. In her lawsuit she demands that the newspaper refuted this information. She also demands 2 million rubles from V.Nitski and 3 million rubles from the editorial board in moral damages.

At the end of the sitting the court ruled that a special expertise was necessary for the article and a specialist was to be drawn to participation in the trial. The next sitting was appointed on 25 June.