The oligarchs want to silence critics. The number of cases is increasing

As we read, after the outbreak of war in Ukraine, the number of trials brought by Russian oligarchs in Great Britain increased significantly, bearing the hallmarks of the so-called. SLAPPS. “This is a form of legal abuse that involves the prosecution of those who engage in public debate” – explains “Rzeczpospolita”.

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That is true. Many Russian oligarchs have begun using this tool to avoid being held accountable by the media and to reveal their ties to Putin or, more broadly, the Russian government, British lawyer Charlie Holt pointed out in an interview with the daily.

One example of SLAPPs, he says, is the cases of Catherine Belton, author of the book “Putin’s People” — in which we read about the details of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s ties to Russian oligarchs.

– The most obvious example of the illegal nature of the case is the case brought by Yevgeny Prigozhin against Bellingate.. The organization is based in the Kingdom of the Netherlands, but its author and founder, Elliott Higgins, is being sued in the UK – which Holt points out is aimed solely at harassing him.

The basis of the case is a series of tweets by Higgins that refer to published texts, among other things. By The Washington Post and The New York Times. Hawkins should refer to documented facts. – Among other things, he said that Prigozhin was the founder of the so-called Wagner groups. Later, Prigozhin’s records appeared directly to the members of this organization, in which he boasted about his role and influence – the lawyer points out in an interview with “Rz”.

He adds, “This investigation is going nowhere, but even the lawyers who are leading it are trying to back away from it because of the public attention – which is so obviously wrong.” He calls the oligarchs’ behavior “shameless”.

– Communication between business and state is a two-way street. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said both sides must be aware of the country’s needs and the realities we live in.