Proposal to Ban Media from Recording Court Hearings in Georgia
A new proposal has been made to the Georgian Parliament’s Legal Affairs Committee. It suggests banning photo and video recording during criminal hearings. This comes as a reaction to ongoing trials of detainees from pro-EU protests.
The protesters claim they are being persecuted on political grounds and use their court hearings to address the public. The proposal was written by lawyer Avtandil Kakhniashvili, who argues that media coverage of court proceedings “discredits” law enforcement agencies.
Kakhniashvili thinks that allowing unrestricted transparency in criminal cases allows defendants to exploit courtrooms for political purposes. He mentioned a case where several defendants challenged the prosecution’s allegations and expressed solidarity with each other during their trial.
The presence of media in courtrooms provides a channel through which detainees can present their statements to the public. Kakhniashvili complained that defendants “practically mocked the judge and prosecutors” during live broadcasts.
Opposition politician Natia Mezvrishvili accused the ruling party of attempting to close court hearings to the public. She called the proposal an unjust attempt to limit transparency in the justice system.
Defense lawyer Tornike Migineishvili also spoke out against the proposal, calling it “very dangerous” and warning that it would undermine the principle of transparency in the justice system.
Before 2013, media outlets were banned from filming or recording court proceedings without judicial permission. However, this restriction was lifted when Parliament passed amendments allowing all attendees to make audio recordings of hearings and permitting journalists to take photos and videos in courtrooms.
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