A court in Moscow has postponed until September 10 its preparatory hearing of a lawsuit filed by Chechen President Ramzan Kadyrov against a human rights activist, RFE/RL's Russian Service reports.
Kadyrov is suing the head of the Memorial human rights center, Oleg Orlov. Orlov accused Kadyrov of being behind the murder of prominent rights activist Natalya Estemirova.
Kadyrov accuses Orlov of "insulting his honor and dignity" and is demanding a public apology and the equivalent of $316,000 in compensation.
Estemirova, who worked for Memorial, was found murdered in Ingushetia on July 15, just hours after she was kidnapped in the Chechen capital, Grozny.
Orlov has said he meant Kadyrov was politically responsible for Estemirova’s murder.
Preparatory sessions usually decide which judge will hear the case and when the hearings will start.