Brest Regional Court turns down appeal of independent journalist

Milana Kharytonava, a photo correspondent of "Brestskiy Kuryer", appealed against the verdict of Maskouski District Court of Brest concerning the insult of her honor, dignity and business reputation.

The defender in this case is a correspondent of the state-owned newspaper "Brestskiy Vestnik" Uladzimir Minevich who had posted insulting comments about Milana on the Internet. The court of the first instance rejected her lawsuit referring to the defendant's right to freedom of word.

On 6 May, during the consideration of the cassation appeal at Brest Regional Court, Milana Kharytonava tried to prove that even the linguistic examination, conducted on the order of the court, found that the words Minevich used can rouse indignation and insult honor and dignity. Nevertheless, the regional court upheld the verdict of Maskouski District Court of Brest.

The independent journalist is sure that if Minevich's expressions concerned some state officials or judges, the case could have a completely different end. Milana Kharytonava stated her intention to continue appealing the court decisions which she considers as unfair and politically motivated.