Journalist is obliged to apologize and pay compensations
The Maskouski district court of Brest has obliged the journalist of "Znamya Yunosti" Ales Liauchuk to apologize to the newspaper for criticism in public.
The court's decision prescribes that Liauchuk should publish refutation of his previous statements that the editor's office forced him to write negative materials about the opposition, at his own expense.
Ales has told on air to Euroradio that such "publication" will cost him about 300 thousand roubles. Apart from this, he is supposed to cover 105 thousand roubles of court expenses. Moreover, the editor's office demands he should compensate the transport expenses of the plaintiff's witnesses and representative. "Transport expenses" from Minsk to Brest amount to about 700 thousand roubles.
Liauchuk disagrees with the court's decision and is going to claim it in the regional court. The first hearing may take place on March 2.
