Repeated claim "Mediazons" to the Foreign Ministry is also rejected

The judge of the Presnensky district court of Moscow Valentin Ershov rejected the repeated lawsuit filed by the chief of the Mediazona Sergey Smirnov to the Russian Foreign Ministry, due to the refusal of the department, to provide information at the request. This was reported by RBC with reference to the lawyer "Agora" Damir Gainutdinov, who represents the interests of the publication. The reasons for such a decision are not specified in the publication.

As indicated on the court’s website, the decision to refuse to accept the claim for consideration Ershov issued on April 24. However, in the media this information was only now.

“We are preparing a private complaint about the refusal to accept applications and extra -procedural appeal to the chairman of the Moscow City Court (Olga) Egorova that the Presnensky District Court of Moscow prevents the access to justice,” said Gainutdinov RBC. “In fact, the Foreign Ministry was declared unusual.”

On March 3, Mediazona turned by e -mail to the director of the Department and Press of the Foreign Ministry of Maria Zakharova in connection with the publication of The Washington Post about the meetings of the Russian ambassador in Washington, Sergei Kislyak with the current US prosecutor General Jeff Senshns. As the American newspaper wrote, before the current position of Sehnes, at that time the senator from Arizona met twice with a sour and concealed this information .

The Mediazon asked to confirm or refute the fact of these meetings, and in the case of confirmation, also report what issues the senator with the ambassador discussed. In addition, the circulation contained the question: "In what capacity was the sezhns - the senator and a member of the Committee on the Armed Forces or the representative of the team of the future US President Donald Trump?"

Along with this, journalists were interested in whether Kislyak met with the current adviser of US President Jared Kushner and with which of the Russians the former chief of the Trump’s foresight headquarters Paul Manafort spoke. "Did the representatives of the diplomatic corps of the Russian Federation have contacts with any other US citizens who were part of the US presidential headquarters Donald Trump?" - the editorial office also asked.

The request was ignored, and on March 18, Mediazona duplicated it with ordinary mail. On the 24th, the Foreign Ministry received a letter, and three days later, on March 27, the editorial office received an answer stating that "the schedule and content of such contacts did not relate to the category of public information and according to the diplomatic norms and the usual rules of good tone cannot be publicized without the consent of all their participants." When asked about the contacts of Americans with the officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the department directly answered that "such information would not be provided."

"Mediazone" insists that such a position violates the media law. According to this law, officials can only refuse to provide information "constituting a state, commercial or other secret protected by law."

On April 7, Smirnov filed an administrative claim to the Presnensky District Court to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs "On contesting illegal inaction." However, on the 11th, the same judge Ershov refused to accept the application, referring to the fact that such disputes should be decided in the manner of not administrative, but civil proceedings.

“This, of course, is not so,” said Gainutdinov in the commentary of RBC. “But we are not proud,” we filed as a civilian ”.

Civil lawsuit "On the assignment to provide information" was sent to the court on April 12. A few days later, on the 18th, the appeal was registered .

“Of course, all kinds of FSIN and others do not answer more often,” Smirnov noted in an interview with “open Russia.” “But the problem is that, I am afraid, to such a trial (with the participation of the Federal Antimonopoly Service. - Ed.) There would be no attention. Therefore, we chose such a tactical move with the ministry. This is just a resonance issue: the name of the department is quite loud.”

Regarding the prospects of the court, the editor -in -chief “Mediazons” noted: “Of course, we have no illusions on this subject. But I want to understand how the court will prove that the Foreign Ministry did everything correctly, and how the department itself will prove it ... What formulations they will find, trying to justify their inaction.”

In addition, the journalist added, he expects to help his colleagues in the regions. “Knowing that now for the unsubscribes they can sue, the departments now, I hope, will think before giving the media empty answers,” he explained. “One thing is Moscow and the Foreign Ministry, another thing is to sue some regional Federal Penitentiary Service.”

“We would like to intimidate the local authorities a little,” Smirnov concluded. At the same time, he admitted that "it is unlikely to work out."