Court Decisions Are Public Information - Russian Supreme Court
MOSCOW. Sept 17 (Interfax) - The result of any court decision being made is public and open, Russian Supreme Court spokesman Pavel Odintsov said. "Both the declaratory and the resolving part of any court decision are public," Odintsov told Interfax on Monday.
Earlier media reports claimed that the arrest of suspects in the murder of Anna Politkovskaya, a reporter from the Novaya Gazeta newspaper, was the "investigation's secret" that was allegedly disclosed by the Moscow City Court. The court also named some witnesses in this case.
Commenting on Russian laws concerning confidential information contained in court decisions, Odintsov said that the substantiating part of a court decision may contain confidential information and is why this part of judicial determinations or rulings is closed to the public.
"However, if only a resolving part was announced, then it is undoubtedly public information, and the press service must provide that portion of information which is deemed to be open," Odintsov said.
At the same time he said that he did not know "the specific circumstances of each particular case.