06 June 2011, 22:30
Armenia: court partially satisfies claim of Kocharyan family against "Zhamanak"
In Yerevan, the court, which considered the lawsuit lodged by the family members of ex-President Robert Kocharyan against the Limited Liability Company (LLC) "Skizb Media Kentron", the founder of the opposition newspaper "Zhamanak" (Time), passed a verdict obliging the newspaper to pay 3 million drams (about 8000 US dollars) for libel and insult.
Today, the court of general jurisdiction of Yerevan communities Kentron and Nork-Marash, chaired by Judge Ara Melkumyan, has satisfied part of the lawsuit relating to compensation for defamation in the amount of 1 million drams (defamation) and 2 million drams (slander). Meanwhile, the judge rejected the part of the lawsuit the family of Robert Kocharyan relating payment of legal services - 3 million drams.
Earlier, Arman Babajanyan, editor-in-chief, treated the lawsuit as illegal and intended to exert pressure on the oppositional newspaper.
Viktor Sogomonyan, who was press secretary of Robert Kocharyan, Armenia's second president, said that the information published by the newspaper had nothing to do with reality.
Author: Lilit Ovanisyan Source: CK correspondent
