Milkavita vs AP reporter case sent to Minsk Economic Court

Справу Карманава і "Мілкавіты" перадалі ў Эканамічны суд Мінска

The action brought by Milkavita against AP journalist Yuras Karmanau has been sent to Minsk Economic Court. Minsk's Maskouski District judge Alena Rudnitskaya has made the decision, the press service of the Belarusian Association of Journalists reports.

The first hearing was held on October 5. The enterprise maintains that Karmanau has damaged its business reputation. Milkavita demands that the journalist refute ‘the false information’ on the website of the Associated Press and on the other websites that published the agency’s story.

The journalist conducted an investigation and found a farmer who had organized his farm right near the signs “Stop! Radiation!” and was selling milk to the dairy factory Milkavita situated in Hoiniki. According to Karmanau, the tests proved that the milk contained 10 times more strontium than it was allowed in Belarus.  

Lawyer Syarhei Zikratski is defending Karmanau. He asked the judge to send the case to the Economic Court.