Russian judge adds to fine on reporters

Press, 5 August 1978, Page 7

Russian judge adds to fine on reporters

NZPA-Reuter Moscow A Soviet court has fined two American correspondents for failing to retract articles they wrote about a dissident’s confession, and has ordered them again to comply. Craig Whitney of the “New York Times” and Harold Piper of the “Baltimore Sun,” defendants in an unprecedented slander case, were not present in the Moscow city court to hear Judge Lev Almazov impose} the 50 rouble (about $81) fine. Whitney, who is 34, said later he was sticking to a decision by the “New York Times” not to publish the retraction of his article, al-| though he would pay under protest the fine, and 1144 roubles ($1863) costs levied: when he was found guilty of slander last month. "I am paying because it would be futile to engage incourt battles about it which I would not be- permitted to win,” he said. Piper, whose newspaper has also refused the court! order to publish a retraction,! is on holiday in the United; States until later this month. Judge Almazov, addressing a hearing attended by about 10 of the journalists’ Western colleagues, extended the deadline for retraction for a further five days and said he would have to take other measures should they fail to comply. He did not indicate the nature of the measures. A prosecutor who took part in last month’s slander! trial called on the judge to: recommend that the Foreign Ministry consider barring Whitney and Piper, who is 39. from working in the Soviet Union. The slander case, brought by the State Broadcasting Committee, has contributed to the strain in relations between Moscow and Washing-! ton. The United States had made clear it regards the ac-

tion as official harassment and indicated possible reprisals against Soviet journalists in the United States.

The case against the two Americans stemmed from a televised recantation by a I Georgian dissident, Syiad i Gamsakhurdia, now serving a three-year term in a : labour camp after conviction ■ for anti-Soviet agitation and propaganda. The State committee sued the two for denigrating the : honour and dignity of its employees by writing stories : which reported suggestions that Gamsakhurdias coin-; 1 fession could have been faked. Gamsakhurdia was ( brought font the labour ■ [camp ■ to testify’at the trial — also I boycotted by the defendants : — that this' confession was ’ true. Judge Almazoz advised ;the correspondents to pay the costs and fines because i otherwise the court was empowered to confiscate their property. Before the latest hearing a! Soviet lawyer told court officials the two newspapers .[intended to pay the costs. Whitney said that by ; agreeing to pay the fine he ; was not admitting any guilt. He took the decision in : the hope of disposing of the case and discouraging a re- : petition of such actions ■ against foreign reporters, he added. Under Soviet civil law the court can continue to impose 50 rouble fines each time the reporters fail to ■: meet the deadline for retrac- : tions, up to a total of 300 roubles. After that, the State committee could possibly have i its denial printed as a newspaper advertisement and l seek the costs from the re- ; porters, Soviet legal sources' said Whitney’s “Times” colleague' in Moscow. David Shipler, said they had not ; yet received notification of the original court order.