Krychau district court opens hearing of another suit against independent newspaper

The Court of Krychau district opened yesterday the consideration of another lawsuit lodged by the Cherykau-based PMK-280 state-owned enterprise against local independent newspaper Volny Horad.

The lawsuit stemmed from an article "We’ll Wait with a Contradiction," signed by Hanna Vladava, which was published in the newspaper on June 29.

The enterprise managers once again accuse the newspaper of discrediting and undermining the company's reputation.

“The hearing was attended by me and the publisher of Volny Horad Uladzimir Kudrautsau. It lasted for around an hour, and the parties presented their positions. Then Judge Antanina Kachanava announced that the hearing would be resumed on September 18," says the newspaper’s editor-in-chief Siarhei Niarouny.

According to the journalist, he also learned from unofficial sources the newspaper is going to face another lawsuit from employees of PMK -280 to demand compensation of damages.

"They say the sum of the damages is estimated at 16 million rubles, this is the information I got. It is clear that the initiators of the lawsuit are in fact not simple workers of PMK-280. This is a continuation of ongoing attempts by officials from ideology to muzzle the journalists of Volny Horad,” says Siarhei Niarouny.