Yesterday night Tula Court passed a judgment which proclaimed
deputy of the Tula City Duma from the YABLOKO party journalist
Vladimir Timakov guilty of libel against Governor of the Tula
region.
Such a judgment on Timakov was made as he had laid the blame
for the growth of corruption in the Tula region on Governor
Dudka as the top official of the region. Timakov had explained
his opinion by growth of corruption cases against top regional
and municipal officials.
The court of the first instance had already obliged Vladimir
Timakov to pay to the Governor RUR 1.5 million (approx. USD
500,000) as a compensation of moral damage.
Unfortunately yesterday’s decision of the judge did not come
as a surprise. The Tula regional branch of YABLOKO considers
the guilty verdict [against Timakov] as another confirmation
that independent judicial system is lacking in Russia and
in the Tula region in particular.
The Tula branch of YABLOKO accesses persecution of Timakov
as a desperate attempt of the regional administration to silence
an oppositional politician and journalist [who spoke] about
corruption in our region and make him abolish active political
stance, as the verdict’s coming into force automatically deprives
him of his mandate in the City Duma.
We express our ultimate support to Vladimir Timakov and consider
him a victim of bureaucratic pressure and are certain that
his honest name will be restored via the European Court of
Human Rights.
V.Yu.Dorokhov,
Chair of the Tula branch of the YABLOKO party
See also:
YABLOKO conducted
a picket in support of deputy of the Tula City Duma. Press
Release. September 7, 2010.
Tula City
Duma deputy persecuted for his criticism of the Governor’s
work. Statement by the Tula branch of YABLOKO. July 15, 2010
Freedom
of Speech
Human
Rights
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