In Cherkessk, court refuses to acquit Leyla Arkelova in case of defamation

The appeal filed against the verdict to Leyla Arkelova, a mother of many children from Cherkessk, found guilty of libel, has been dismissed, and the city court has upheld the decision of the first instance.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that Leyla Arkelova wrote in her appeals to the law enforcement authorities that her boss Zulfiya Bostanova unfairly dismissed her and voiced threats. In the court, Zulfiya Bostanova stated that she voiced no threats and that Leyla Arkelova tried to discredit her reputation. On February 9, the court sentenced Leyla Arkelova to a fine in the amount of 5,000 roubles.

Marina Laipanova, a defendant's advocate, has noted that if Leyla Arkelova wanted to spread defamatory information about the victim, she would not have appealed for that to the law enforcement authorities.

Leyla Arkelova worked as a chief state tax inspector of the Inter-District Inspectorate of the Federal Tax Service (known as FNS) from August 2003 until April 30, 2014, when she was dismissed. The employer motivated her dismissal by repeated disciplinary penalties.

Leyla Arkelova intends to challenge the decision at the Supreme Court (SC) of Karachay-Cherkessia. She believes she got under persecution after she had filed to the FNS Department the documents to obtain subsidies to purchase finished housing for her family.

On March 26, Leyla Arkelova sent an open appeal to Rashid Temrezov, the leader of Karachay-Cherkessia. In her appeal, the woman has emphasized that the lives of her three children and an orphaned girl under her guardianship depend on the decision of the court, since in case if Leyla Arkelova is found guilty, she can be dismissed because of a criminal record.

Full text of the article is available on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’.