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The first consideration of the claim of Mirgorod mayor against journalist Viktor Kozoriz

08.04.2004   

On 5 June the first consideration of the claim of Oleksandr Pautov, the mayor of Mirgorod (the Poltava oblast), against Viktor Kozoriz, the editor-in-chief and journalist of the newspaper “Mirgorodska Pravda”, took place in the town of Okhtyrka of the Sumy oblast.

The mayor demands 50 thousand of compensation of the moral damage inflicted to him by the publication of an article by V. Kozoriz in the newspaper “Mirgorodska pravda”. The claimant was insulted with the phrases: “…Mirgorod dwellers were forced to accept Oleksandr Pautov, a not popular and, as it became known later, absolutely untalented manager” and “Oleksandr Pautov has rather vague notion of the economic policy and the principles of managing a modern town. It seems that he does not understand at all, by whom and for which he was elected, and to whom he must serve”. The mayor believes that these statements are untrue, that they defame him, discredit his honor, dignity and business reputation and defile his business reputation in public opinion.

The defendant was represented at the trial by former mayor of Mirgorod Vasyl Tretetskiy and IMI lawyer Tetiana Kirichenko. Local journalists also came to the trial to support their colleague.

During the trial Kozoriz lodged the petition, in which he asked to include into the case materials the documents that confirmed the facts stated in the article, on the basis of which he, in his opinion, had the right to characterize the mayor in the above-mentioned way.

During the first consideration the parties put some questions, presented proofs and lodged petitions.

The second trial will be held on 19 June 2003.

We want to remind that on 12 March 2003 the Local Mirgorod town court approved the decision to seize the flat of Viktor Kozoriz “with the aim to secure the claim”.

09 June 2003, The Institute of mass information, http://imi.org.ua/

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