CJTeam, Yerevan, 07 Jun 2009 – On June 5 the Court of First Instance of Kentron and Nork-Marash Communities of Yerevan chaired by Judge Arayik Melkumyan partially satisfied Levon Kocharyan’s suit (younger son of RA former President Robert Kocharyan) against Haykakan Zhamanak daily (HZH).
That is according to the court decision Haykakan Zhamanak must pay penalties of 3 mln 692 thousand AMD (US$10 000) instead of 16 mln 120 thousand AMD (US$43 500) demanded by the plaintiff.
The plaintiff says 3 000 000 AMD being the legal service fee, 620 000 drams – the income received by HZH as a result of the article publication and 72 000 drams will be levied as a state duty. The court also has instructed Haykakan Zhamanak to publish information rejecting the one disgracing Levon Kocharyan’s honor and dignity just the day after the court verdict formal entry into force.
The reason for Levon Kocharyan’s suit was the news “Robert’s Son’s Adventures in Dubai” published on February 6 in “Haykakan Zhamanak”, according to which several days before the New Year the plaintiff, in a drunken state, had been detained by local police in Dubai. At the same time the court has rejected the plaintiff’s demand regarding reimbursement of moral damage.
Lawyer Tigran Avetisyan of Haykakan Zhamanak has announced that such a court verdict seriously harmed freedom of the media in Armenia. According to Avetisyan the daily is going to appeal against the court verdict at higher court instances.
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