Russian paper protests court ruling with ‘blank’ edition News
Russian paper protests court ruling with ‘blank’ edition

[JURIST] Russian independent newspaper Kommersant [official website] protested a court judgment against the publication by leaving its Monday editions blank, save for an upside down copy of the court's opinion and several other satirical items. The court issued an $11.4 million ruling against Kommersant for suggesting that Alfa Bank was having financial difficulties in a story published in July. In addition to the text of the court's ruling, Kommersant's Monday edition featured a picture of Alfa's principal shareholder shaking hands with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Kommersant plans to appeal the ruling, which amounts to about 70 percent of its assets. Read Kommersant's court-ordered retraction [text] of its previous article on Alfa. The Washington Post has more [registration required].