The court approved compensation for a Saratov journalist for prosecution in a libel case

The Saratov Regional Court upheld compensation for journalist Sergei Vilkov, who was accused of slandering a deputy of the provincial Duma Sergei Kurikhin. about this Vilkov wrote on his Facebook page.

Thus, the regional court upheld the decision of the Oktyabrsky District Court of Saratov that Vilkov should receive compensation in the amount of 150,000 rubles for unlawful prosecution in the libel case.

“My rehabilitation is so much appreciated after 2.5 years of investigation and trial with a current measure of restraint, three searches with the seizure of equipment and two detentions. Well, the black sheep, as they say. Thus, both appeals contesting the amount of the payment were rejected - mine and the local department of the federal treasury, ”the journalist writes.

Vilkov was acquitted on August 31, 2017. In February , the acquittal was upheld . In a complaint against the actions of law enforcement officers, Vilkov's defense asked for compensation in the amount of two million rubles.

UPD On January 15, 2019, the Saratov Regional Court returned the case against Vilkov to the court of appeal, reports FreeNews-Volga . Thus, the court granted Kurikhin's cassation complaint.

• There were two victims in the case - in addition to deputy Kurikhin, Vilkov, according to investigators, slandered Mikhail Zavyalov, a colonel of the Federal Drug Control Service. Vilkov was engaged in journalistic investigation of the activities of the deputy.
• The case was opened in connection with the fact that the journalist published on the social network page a copy of an operational certificate about a member of the organized criminal group "Parkovskiye", whose personal data completely coincided with those of Sergei Kurikhin. In addition, Vilkov posted on the network information that Colonel Zavyalov allegedly helped Kurikhin settle the issue of taxes for 100 thousand rubles.
• In November 2016, the court returned the case to the prosecutor's office , however, in March 2017, it was again taken to court. The judge considered that there was no irrefutable evidence confirming the journalist's guilt.
• Vilkov previously stated that Deputy Kurikhin could be involved in the attack on him on January 13, 2015, and also suggested that the deputy may be associated with local nationalists.