Get A Clue: Stalin’s Grandson Sues Over Attacks On Infamous Communist Dictator
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The grandson of Joseph Stalin has begun a libel suit against one of Russia’s leading liberal newspapers, accusing it of lying in an article that stated the wartime leader had killed Soviet citizens.
As the Vladimir Putin, the prime minister, defended Stalin’s reputation Poland, Yevgeny Dzhugashvili, the dictator’s grandson, began his quest to claim nearly £200,000 from Novaya Gazeta, the Independent reports.
“Half a century of lies have been poured over Stalin’s reputation and he cannot defend himself from the grave, so this case is essential to put the record straight,” Mr Dzhugashvili’s lawyer, Leonid Zhura, said.
Dzhugashvili is Stalin’s real surname, and Yevgeny Dzhugashvili is the son of Stalin’s son, Yakov, who was killed during the Second World War.
Liberal critics say that the drive to rehabilitate Stalin has official backing, with the Kremlin keen to glorify Russia’s Soviet past and make Russians proud of their history, while glossing over Stalin’s crimes The Novaya Gazeta story referred to declassified secret documents ordering the execution of Soviet citizens and which were said to bear Stalin’s personal signature.
The lawsuit also accuses the human rights organisation Memorial of libel. It has collected testimony about victims of Stalin’s terror and the article appeared in a pamphlet that it published jointly with the newspaper.
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