On October 11 RA Civil Court of Appeal did not secure the complaint of the founder and publisher of “Zhamanak” newspaper, “Skizb Media Kentron” LLC, regarding the ruling of general jurisdiction court on the suit of the spouse and the son of the Second President of Armenia Robert Kocharian, Bella and Sedrak Kocharians. As it has been reported, the reason of the litigation became the pieces published in “Zhamanak” on September 25, September 29 and October 7, 2010. The articles dealt with a number of companies, which were reportedly owned by the Kocharians’ family or managed through the third parties. The plaintiffs demanded to bind “Zhamanak” to refute the information damaging the honor, dignity and business reputation of Bella and Sedrak Kocharians, exact 3 million AMD (about $ 8,200) from the respondent as compensation for libel and defamation, as well as pay off the court expenses of 3 million AMD. On June 6 the court of general jurisdiction of Kentron and Nork-Marash administrative districts of Yerevan secured the suit partially, binding the respondent to publish a refutation and pay off the plaintiffs 3 million AMD as a compensation. The founder of “Zhamanak” contested this ruling at the second court jurisdiction, which started the hearings on the case on September 29 (see YPC Weekly Newsletter, September 23-29, 2011).
At the session of October 11 the Court of Appeal revoked the complaint, finding no grounds for reconsideration of the ruling of the general jurisdiction court.
The attorney of the respondent Nikolay Baghdasarian announced about the intentions of “Zhamanak” founder to address the RA Court of Cassation.
