PUBLISHING HOUSE 'PSKOV NEWS' v. RUSSIA
Inadmissible
Alena Poláčková;Branko Lubarda;Dmitry Dedov;Georgios A. Serghides;Helena Jäderblom;Luis López Guerra;Pere Pastor Vilanova
1. The applicant, the publishing house Pskov News (автономная некоммерческая организация «Издательский дом “Новости Пскова”»), is a Russian non-profit organisation. It was represented before the Court by Mr V. Bykov, a lawyer practising in Moscow. The Russian Government (“the Government”) were represented by their Agent, Mr G. Matyushkin. 2. The facts of the case, as submitted by the parties, may be summarised as follows. 3. The applicant is the publisher of Pskovskaya Guberniya, a regional weekly. The applicant and the newspaper are two distinct legal persons. In 2003 two officials sued the newspaper for defamation over an article about their encounters with the law. On 8 August 2003 the Pskov Town Court found the article’s allegations false and ordered the newspaper to issue a retraction but refused damages for emotional distress. On 23 September 2003 the Pskov Regional Court affirmed the judgment. 4. According to the Tax Service’s company register, in July 2009 the applicant was liquidated.