Today, the Supreme Court heard the cassation appeal filed by Khural newspaper editor-in-chief Avaz Zeynalli against the 7 February 2011 decision of Appeals Court on the mutual appeal by Vugar Safarli, executive director of the State Support Fund for Mass Media Development and Zeynalli himself, his lawyer Elchin Sadigov reported to IRFS.
The judge announced the decision to uphold the Appeals Court decision of 7 February 2011.
Vugar Safarli claimed that his honor and dignity were offended by the expression ‘press butcher’ that appeared in Avaz Zeynalli’s article 'Ilham Aliyev is not the president of Khural newspaper,' published in Khural’s end of July issue. Safarli filed a lawsuit demanding that the paper publish a refutation, and that he be awarded 10,000 AZN in compensation. On 7 February, 2011, the Court of Appeals ruled that the newspaper must publish a retraction and pay Safarli 5,000 AZN.