DUSHANBE, May 6, 2013, Asia-Plus  -- Consideration of a case pitting Tojiron Company against the Imrouz News (News Today) newspaper and Ms. Fayziniso Vohidova, a lawyer from Sughd province, was continued in Dushanbe’s economic court on May 6.

Relatives of the driver, who was killed in a fatal traffic accident involving one of Tojiron’s gasoline tankers, testified against the defendants ( Imrouz News and Ms. Fayziniso Vohidova).

The father and the son-in-law of the driver, who was killed in the accident, as well as Tojiron’s driver N. Dastambuyev were summoned to the court as witnesses.  They said today that the Tojiron representatives have not demanded money from the driver’s relatives for his body.   

We will recall that Tojiron Company filed a libel lawsuit against Imrouz News and Ms. Fayziniso Vohidova in late February, asking for 1.00 somoni from the newspaper and 50,000 somoni from Ms. Fayziniso Vohidova as compensation for moral damage that was caused by an article published by the newspaper.

The lawsuit stems from an article “Murdafurushi dar Shirkati Tojiron” that was published in the newspaper on January 17.  The article was about a fatal traffic accident, involving one of Tojiron’s gasoline tankers, which took place on the Dushanbe-Khujand highway.

“We consider that publication of unchecked facts is a great mistake of the newspaper.  Each journalist must double check the facts and find out opinions of both sides,” said representative of Tojiron. “In this case, Imrouz News has not checked the facts about the accident, and thereby, it has undermined image of Tojiron among the population.”

Meanwhile, editorial staff of Imrouz News noted that they published a disclaimer 15 days after the article was published.

On March 29, a judge at Dushanbe’s economic court offered Tojiron Company and Ms. Fayziniso Vohidova to come to an amicable agreement, but Inoyat Inoyatov, who is representing Tojiron Company in the trial, refused the amicable agreement.  Mr. Inoyatov claims that in this case, the matter is of deliberate spreading of false information.

On April 19, Ms. Fayziniso Vohidova filed a counterclaim against Tojiron Company for 100,000 somoni in damages.  According to her, she filed the counterclaim against the company, asking for 100,000 somoni as compensation for moral damage that was caused by an article published by Tojiron on January 30. “In this article, the company casts doubt on my professionalism,” the lawyer said.