Stalin’s Grandson Sues Newspaper For Painting His Gran’Pappy As An A-hole Tyrant

MOSCOW (Reuters) – Josef Stalin was in the dock on Monday when a Russian court held a preliminary hearing in a libel case brought by his grandson over a newspaper story which said the tyrant had ordered the killings of Soviet citizens.

Rights groups say the case shows a creeping attempt in modern Russia to paint a more benevolent picture of the Soviet Union’s most feared leader, under whose rule millions perished.
Stalin’s grandson, Yevgeny Dzhugashvili, is seeking 9.5 million roubles ($299,000) from the Novaya Gazeta newspaper and 500,000 roubles from the author of an article published last April claiming Stalin personally signed politburo death orders.

Leonid Zhura, a convinced Stalinist who is representing Dzhugashvili in court, said that the article — based on declassified Kremlin documents — damaged Stalin’s reputation.

“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,” said Zhura.

“We want to rehabilitate Stalin,” he told Reuters. “He turned populations into peoples, he presided over a golden era in literature and the arts, he was a real leader.”

Robert Gibbs has announced that Obama is en route to Dzhugashvil’s home to issue an apology…Then there’s this…