INDEPENDENT PAPER FACES DEBILITATING LIBEL SUIT

C O N F I D E N T I A L MINSK 000997 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/06/2017 TAGS: PGOV PHUM BO SUBJECT: INDEPENDENT PAPER FACES DEBILITATING LIBEL SUIT REF: 06 MINSK 305 Classified By: Charge Jonathan Moore for reason 1.4 (d). ¶1. (SBU) On December 5, Minsk Judge Alena Anannich agreed to hear a libel suit filed by vitriolic Belarusian parliamentarian Nikolay Cherginets against the independent weekly newspaper "Novy Chas" and journalist Aleksandr Tamkovich. Cherginets' suit demands the paper withdraw Tamkovich's September 24 article, which, according to Cherginets, damaged his reputation by linking him to a controversial Soviet-era criminal prosecution. Moreover, the suit seeks damages of USD 232,000 and USD 46,000 from the paper and Tamkovich respectively. At the courthouse immediately before the proceedings, the paper's editor Aleksey Korol confidently predicted to POLOFF that Cherginets would seek an out-of-court settlement. However, upon hearing that litigation would continue on December 19, Korol seemed forlorn and noted that losing the case would likely cause his paper's closure. Comment -------------- ¶2. (C) Given Cherginets' staunch support for Lukashenko and the GOB's suppression of Korol's opposition newspaper "Zgoda" during the 2006 presidential elections (reftel),the decision to continue these proceedings is not surprising. The regime might regard the threat of closure (or the actual closure) of "Novy Chas" -- one of the few registered independent print outlets for pro-democracy forces -- as an effective means to intimidate other independent media organizations as they prepare to cover Belarus' 2008 parliamentary elections. MOORE