at this complaint is not manifestly ill-founded within the meaning of Article 35 § 3 of the Convention. It further notes that it is not inadmissible on any other grounds. It must therefore be declared admissible.
B. Merits
1. The parties' submissions
21. The Government submitted that the interference with the applicant's right to freedom of expression had been prescribed by law, notably Article 152 of the Civil Code. It had pursued the legitimate aim of protecting the reputation of others, namely Regional Prosecutor B., and was necessary in a democratic society. They referred to the judgment of the District Court, which had established that the applicant had failed to show that his allegations were true. The penalty imposed on the applicant had not been severe.
22. The applicant maintained his complaint. He submitted that the excerpt from the article in question was merely an expression of his personal opinion based on facts known to him concerning the political scene in the region. When deciding on B.'s defamation claims, the District Court had failed to distinguish between a statement of fact and a value judgment. The court had disregarded the findings of the panel of experts, which had come to the conclusion that the excerpt in question had constituted the applicant's personal opinion, and had given an unfair judgment when resolving the dispute. In line with the provisions of Article 10 § 2 of the Convention, in his article the applicant had discussed issues of public interest concerning the interaction of political groups in the region and criticised the actions of the regional prosecutor. The domestic courts had not substantiated the preference they had given to the protection of the personal rights of the regional prosecutor over the applicant's right to freedom of expression and the interest of the public in receiving information. Nor had it been shown that the applicant's statements had had a negative impact on B.'s professional career. On the contrary, B. had since been promoted and appointed deputy general prosecutor of the Far East (Dalnevostochniy) Region. In sum, the applicant argued that the interference of the Russian authorities with his freedom of expression had not pursued a legitimate aim and had not been necessary in a democratic society, in contravention of Article 10 § 2 of the Convention.
2. The Court's assessment
23. The Court notes that it is common ground between the parties that the judgments given in the defamation action constituted an interference with the applicant's right to freedom of expression as protected by Article 10 § 1. It is not contested that the interference was prescribed by law, notably Article 152 of the Civil Code. The Court also accepts the Government's argument that the interference pursued the legitimate aim of protecting the reputation and rights of Regional Prosecutor B. with a view to permitting him to exercise his duties without undue disturbance. It remains, accordingly to ascertain whether the interference was "necessary in a democratic society".
24. The fundamental principles relating to this question are well established in the Court's case-law and have been summarised as follows (see, for example, Hertel v. Switzerland, 25 August 1998, § 46, Reports 1998-VI):
"(i) Freedom of expression constitutes one of the essential foundations of a democratic society and one of the basic conditions for its progress and for each individual's self-fulfilment. Subject to paragraph 2 of Article 10, it is applicable not only to "information" or "ideas" that are favourably received or regarded as inoffensive or as a matter of indifference, but also to those that offend, shock or disturb. Such are the demands of pluralism, tolerance and broadmindedness without which there is no "democratic society"
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