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The Court Decided: “Haykakan Zhamanak” Daily is Obliged to Pay

Publisher of “Haykakan Zhamanak” daily -“Dareskizb” Ltd. – must pay 6 million 132 thousand drams ($16,800) in total to 3 deputies of the RA National Assembly. Such decision was reached by the Court of General Jurisdiction of Kentron and Nork-Marash administrative districts on February 7, considering that the information in the article entitled “Seven of Eight On the List” issued in the newspaper on October 14, 2010 is not true.

Deputies and well-known businessmen Ruben Hayrapetyan, Samvel Aleksanyan and Levon Sargsyan had applied to the court with a claim against “Haykakan Zhamanak” daily, demanding to compensate the damage caused to their honour, dignity and business reputation. As compensation they demanded the newspaper to pay 2, 5 million drams ($6,850) each of them, of which 500,000 drams ($1,370) as compensation for legal expenses.

The court partially granted the petitioners’ demand, also noting in the decision that “Haykakan Zhamanak” daily must publish a retraction within a week after the verdict’s coming into force. Now “Dareskizb” Ltd. is obligated to pay each of the deputies 2 million 44 thousand drams ($5,600).

Publisher of “Haykakan Zhamanak” daily -“Dareskizb” Ltd. – must pay 6 million 132 thousand drams ($16,800) in total to 3 deputies of the RA National Assembly. Such decision was reached by the Court of General Jurisdiction of Kentron and Nork-Marash administrative districts on February 7, considering that the information in the article entitled “Seven of Eight On the List” issued in the newspaper on October 14, 2010 is not true.

Deputies and well-known businessmen Ruben Hayrapetyan, Samvel Aleksanyan and Levon Sargsyan had applied to the court with a claim against “Haykakan Zhamanak” daily, demanding to compensate the damage caused to their honour, dignity and business reputation. As compensation they demanded the newspaper to pay 2, 5 million drams ($6,850) each of them, of which 500,000 drams ($1,370) as compensation for legal expenses.

The court partially granted the petitioners’ demand, also noting in the decision that “Haykakan Zhamanak” daily must publish a retraction within a week after the verdict’s coming into force. Now “Dareskizb” Ltd. is obligated to pay each of the deputies 2 million 44 thousand drams ($5,600).

In the “Seven of Eight On the List” article which became the reason of the deputies’ claim, it was mentioned, that according to the information published in the newspaper “the RF law enforcement bodies have revealed that Russian criminal groups are in close relations to various RA officials, and have made a list of RA officials having any relation to different criminal cases or to Russian criminal groups.” The names of the above mentioned deputies were among the first seven names of the list mentioned in the article.

“Dareskizb” Ltd. is going to appeal the verdict.

 Source: JNews.am