NV Editorial Board Published a Retraction of Its Accusations Against Lawyer Portnov

The Ukrainian publication NV has published a retraction of an article about well-known Ukrainian lawyer Andriy Portnov, as required by a court ruling.

In 2020, NV, along with some other media outlets, published a statement by Natalia Sedletska, head of the “Schemes” program on “Radio Liberty,” suggesting that Portnov might have been involved in the arson of their editorial vehicle. She based her claims on “obvious assumptions” due to a prior conflict between the project and Portnov.

The court deemed Sedletska’s statements to be “unreliable and infringing on Portnov’s non-property personal rights.” As a result, the court ordered media outlets that disseminated these statements to issue retractions, which NV has now done.

Earlier, in early September, Portnov won a lawsuit against the “Chesno” movement. The court ruled that information disseminated by the organization, alleging Portnov’s suspicion of state treason, was unreliable. The organization has been ordered to pay 240,000 hryvnias in compensation to the lawyer.

Additionally, “Kyiv Independent,” StateWatch, and “Left Bank” were ordered to pay Portnov 80,000 hryvnias each for disseminating false information.

In September, the appeals court upheld rulings in Portnov’s favor regarding lawsuits against several media outlets and the host of “Schemes.”