A court in Switzerland has refused to engage in censorship in the Abramovich — media
The court of Zurich has refused on the request of the Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich to remove a few paragraphs from the article of the Swiss newspaper SonntagsZeitung, noting that the court is not an organ of censorship, according to the publication Tages-Anzeiger.
In early February, SonntagsZeitung wrote that Abramovich had allegedly tried to settle in the Swiss Canton of Valais, but later withdrew its request.
At the request of Abramovich, the court in Zurich has banned publications to publish information about the details of the story. However, after articles have been edited, the Russians demanded to remove several paragraphs. It is noted that Abramovich also required to remove the statements of the authorities of Switzerland, published on the Internet.
According to Tages-Anzeiger, in response to this request, a Swiss court said Abramovich that he “does not understand that in the context of interim measures, the court is not an organ of censorship” and that it is impossible to forbid to publish certain statements.
The court referred to the decision of the Federal court of Switzerland, according to which “freedom of the press is one of the main components of freedom of expression forms the link between the state and society control over the authorities.”
In addition, the court found that as a billionaire and one of the richest people in the world Abramovich will have to answer more questions.
The court considered that Abramovich has shown undue haste with his request, and fined him 5 thousand Swiss francs. Tages-Anzeiger notes that this decision is unusual, as the trial between the Russians and the newspaper still continues. SonntagsZeitung strives to publish the full article.