I kid you not.
The Russian newspaper Navayagazeta published an article criticizing the Soviet tyrant Joseph Stalin.
GASP!
It was then sued for libel by Stalin's grandson.
Fortunately, after a trial the judge ruled that the article was truthful.
After. A. Trial.
In Canada, you cannot libel someone who is dead. After all, they no longer are in need of their reputation, are they?
Apparantly, Russia... not so up to date.
This libel lawsuit in just part of an attempt to rehabilitate Stalin's position in Russian history. I've vaguely heard of this. National pride seems to be driving it, mixed in with years of Soviet propaganda blaming foreign powers for Stalin's purges.
Ridiculous as it seems, this is just an exaggerated example of how libel law can be abused to harass truth-tellers, and how it can be used to political ends. Canada is not immune to this. Not long ago, Harper sued the Liberal party of Canada for republishing on its website the contents of Hansard wrt the Cadman affair. The lawsuit was settled after the last election. The rumoured deal: The Liberal Party would no longer raise the issue.
That's right: Canadian Libel law was used to silence the Official Opposition.
The whole matter is decently described over at Wikipedia.
I have some theories concerning Harper's role in the Cadman affair, and an analysis of his conduct when he filed his failed libel suit against the Liberals.
Finally, I have some ideas comparing aspects of Stalin's tactics to Harper's iron grip.
However, despite being fair comment, I think I'll have to wait until Harper passes away.
My pockets just aren't that deep.
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