Claim on the protection of honor and dignity of the manager of the TV company “Krym” was not satisfied

14 July 2003. A court refused to consider the claim on the protection of honor and dignity handed by Ludmila Khoroshilova, the manager of the TV and radio company “Krym” and the head of the Crimean Republican branch of the National Union of journalists, against Olena Rozhen, the chief-editor of the feature “12 minutes of news” of the same TV company. This decision was taken by Nina Starova, a judge of the Zaliznichny district court of Simferopol. The judge recognized the demands of the plaintiff as contradicting “the norms of the operating laws”. Ludmila Khoroshilova was going to collect 80250 hryvnas from her subordinate as the compensation of the moral damage allegedly inflicted to her. In her opinion, her honor and dignity suffered the damage as a result of some statements made by Olena Rozhen at a press conference and in several TV features. The statements concerned the low professionalism of Khoroshilova and the censorship introduced by her in the company “Krym”. The court acknowledged these statements to be “evaluative judgments”. So, Rozhen merely realized her right to express her opinion and views, which right is guaranteed by the Ukrainian Constitution and the Convention on the protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms.

Institute of mass information, «Barometr svobody slova», July 2003