Oppositionists’ Names Held Generic

The court in Moscow that recently dismissed the libel claim of Russian liberal opposition leaders against Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, who had accused them of “stealing billions,” has published the rationale for the decision. According to the court's opinion, the claim was dismissed because the oppositionists’ names have become generic. The claim was based on a television interview where Putin, when asked, "What do Nemtsov, Ryzhkov, Milov and so on really want?," replied, "Money and power, what else do they want? In their day they wrought havoc, (and) in the 90s, they stole quite a few billions along with the Berezovskys and others who are now in prison. They've been deprived of the hand that feeds them, they've gone broke, and now they want to come back and fill their pockets. But I think if we let them do that, they won't stop at a few billion, and they'll sell out all of Russia." In dismissing the libel claim brought by Nemtsov, Ryzhkov, and Milov, Judge Tatiana Adamova wrote, "The court concludes that the names of Nemtsov, Ryzhkov, and Milov have been used not as proper names, but only in their generic meaning, denoting a certain class of politicians having a similar set of methods of carrying on political discussions.” The oppositionists intend to appeal and possibly sue the Russian authorities in the European Court of Human Rights.



http://echo.msk.ru/blog/rizhkov/752879-echo/ (opinion)
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2011/02/14/ap/world/main7347503.shtml