Moscow's Meshchansky district court has ordered outspoken Russian designer Artemy Lebedev to pay 1 million rubles ($15,600) to a World War II veteran for offensive blog posts, the TASS news agency reported Friday, citing a court spokesperson.
The court ordered Lebedev to delete the offensive material and pay 1 million rubles in damages to Sergei Kramarenko, a World War II veteran, the court's spokeswoman Yulia Bocharova told TASS.
Kramarenko filed his lawsuit following blog posts written by Lebedev on the blogging platform LiveJournal on Feb. 6, and May 9, 2014.
According to Kramarenko, Lebedev's posts insult the memory of World War II, known in Russia as the Great Patriotic War, “which is unacceptable in a country where the worshiping of World War II veterans and victims is a historical duty of the state and society,” the news agency reported.
Artemy Lebedev is a well known designer and popular blogger, famous for his provocative views.
Lebedev is the owner of the design studio Art.Lebedev, which developed the official logos for the Russian cities of Moscow, Yekaterinburg and Perm, as well as Crimea.
A Message from The Moscow Times:
Dear readers,
We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."
These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.
We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.
Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.
By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.
Remind me later.
