Judge decided to imprison former deputy - human rights activist

Prosecutor of the Lazarevsky District Court of Sochi Kovalenko brought criminal proceedings by the article "slander" against Leonid Teleleyko, a well-known human rights activist and public figure of the Krasnodar region and Sochi. The writ was handed in by former Lazarevsky District Court Deputy Chairman Trukhan N. I. Teleleyko is articled for his publications in the Chernomorskaya Zdravnitsa and the Sochi newspapers in 2002, in which he spoke about the reasons why he had disputed the prolongation of Trukhan's judicial authorities.

From January to March 2003 the same prosecutor's office examined Trukhan's writ on the institution of criminal proceedings against Teleleyko with the same grounds, but the declarant was refused due to the examination results.

Still earlier the Central District Court of Sochi decided on Trukhan's civil suit against Teleleyko on the protection of honor and dignity and compensation of the moral damage caused. The court declared the materials published in the Chernomorskaya Zdravnitsa newspaper in the articles of January 22, 2002 and May 5, 2002 to be contrary to fact in respect of Trukhan and decided to exact 100 thousand rubles of compensation from Teleleyko. At present this decision is being examined by reviewing authorities.

Federal Judge Trukhan's authorities expired on August 29, 2001. On April 24, 2002 Krasnodar Territory's Legislative Assembly considered his candidacy for the post of the Krasnodar Regional Court Judge. The Assembly denied him the approval due to the results of the deputy commission's work that had checked numerous citizens' complaints on Judge Trukhan.

On June 19, 2002 with the procedure of the approval of judges at Krasnodar Territory's Legislative Assembly being infringed, Trukhan's candidacy was approved for the post of the Lazarevsky District Court Deputy Chairman. The papers have been at the Russian President's Administration for more than a year.

The institution of criminal proceedings against Teleleyko is nothing else, but a revenge for a principal position of the man who blocked the unworthy judge's way.