Josef Stalin's grandson has brought a legal suit against Russian radio station Ekho Moskvy, seeking 10 million rubles ($326,500) in damages, the radio station's website said on Saturday.
Yevgeny Dzhugashvili brought the claim against the radio station for offensive disrespect to the late Soviet leader during a radio program in October hosted by Matvei Ganapolsky. During the program, Ganapolsky quoted a phrase out of a book called Staliniada.
"Stalin signed an order that children may be shot from the age of 12," Ganapolsky read, and followed the quote with his own opinion: "What kind of bastard would be brave enough to say one word in his [Stalin's] defense?"
Millions of people were executed on fake charges of espionage, sabotage, anti-Soviet propaganda or died of starvation, disease or exposure in Gulag labor camps under Stalin's rule. According to official statistics, 52 million were convicted on political charges during Stalin's regime and 6 million were sent out of cities without any court verdict.
Stalin's grandson attempted in the past to bring a similar lawsuit against a Russian daily, Novaya Gazeta, however he lost the case.
MOSCOW, December 19 (RIA Novosti)
