**Court Hearing Transparency in Question**
A proposal to ban photo and video recording during criminal hearings has been referred to the Legal Affairs Committee of Georgia’s Parliament. This move comes amid ongoing trials of detainees from pro-EU protests, who claim they are being persecuted on political grounds.
The proposal, authored by lawyer Avtandil Kakhniashvili, suggests that media coverage of court proceedings “discredits” law enforcement agencies. Kakhniashvili argues that unrestricted transparency in criminal cases allows defendants to exploit courtrooms for political purposes.
However, the presence of media in courtrooms provides a channel through which detainees can present their statements to the public. Detained protesters have repeatedly challenged the prosecution’s allegations and exposed police repression and judicial misconduct during their hearings.
Kakhniashvili criticized the 2013 decision to allow media recordings in courtrooms, calling it an “unjustified step.” He cited coverage of high-profile cases against former President Mikheil Saakashvili, ex-Interior Minister Vano Merabishvili, and former Tbilisi Mayor Gigi Ugulava as examples of defendants using televised trials to make political statements.
Opposition politician Natia Mezvrishvili accused the ruling party of attempting to close court hearings to the public. “The text of the legislative proposal was clearly written in the ‘Dream’ office,” she wrote on social media.
The restriction on filming or recording court proceedings without judicial permission was lifted in 2013, allowing all attendees to make audio recordings and permitting journalists to take photos and videos in courtrooms.
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