Court denied independent journalist’s claim in Brest

A press-photographer for the newspaper Brest Courier Milana Kharytonava tried to achieve the reconsideration of the decision of the Brest Moscow district’s court.

The defendant on this case is a reporter of the Brest Herald newspaper Uladzimir Minievich, who published offensive comments addressed to the independent press-photographer on a web-site. The court of original jurisdiction denied Milana Kharytonava’s appeal, referring to the fact that the defendant had the constitutional right for the freedom of speech, the human rights center Viasna reports.

On 6 May, during the consideration of the appeal in the region’s court, Milana Kharytonava tried to prove that even in the linguistic expertise, may on the court’s order, it was stated that the expressions, used by Minievich, could offend a person, humiliate his honor and dignity. However, the region’s court kept the decision of Brest Moscow district’s court unchanged.

The independent journalist is sure that if similar expressions had referred to one of the officials or judges, the case would have had a completely different outcome. Milana Kharytonava reported that she intended to keep appealing against the decision, which, in her opinion, was ungrounded and politically motivated.