Court dismisses claim filed by Dagestani Press Minister against "Chernovik"

On November 28, the Kirov District Court of Makhachkala pronounced the decision to leave without consideration the claim for compensation for moral damages filed by Burliyat Tokbolatova, Dagestani Minister for Press and Information, against the newspaper "Chernovik" (Draft).

Burliyat Tokbolatova has demanded to collect one million roubles from the edition office of the newspaper "Chernovik" as compensation for moral damage. The Dagestani Minister treated as defamatory the information published in the newspaper issue of July 29, 2016, in the article "For Friendship...", dedicated to the press conference of the Dagestani branch of the "Rodina" (Homeland) Party held on July 22.

In the above article, the newspaper "Chernovik" has quoted the phrases voiced by Ramazan Mamedov, the main speaker of the press conference, the chair of the electoral headquarters of the "Rodina" Party. He said: "In Derbent, Burliyat Tokbolatova, Dagestani Minister for Press and Information, invited a local journalist and demanded from him to withdraw his candidacy from the election. He showed fidelity to his principles and refused. Meanwhile, he resigned from the newspaper..."

In her claim for compensation, Minister Tokbolatova stated "that did not take place and could not take place."

On November 28, the regular court hearing was not attended by Burliyat Tokbolatova or any of her representatives. The court was not notified of the reasons for their absence. Therefore, the court pronounced the decision to leave the claim without consideration, announces the today's report posted on the website of the newspaper "Chernovik".

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